


The Kissing Booth: Adult Edition

by PonderRose



Category: The Kissing Booth (2018)
Genre: Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Love, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Male-Female Friendship, Platonic Romance, Possessive Behavior, Protectiveness, Romance, Roommates, True Love, University, University Exchange
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 55,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25693483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PonderRose/pseuds/PonderRose
Summary: Seven years after Elle goes to Berkeley, and she and Noah break up, Lee comes to visit her while she's doing research for her PhD aboard. Things turn on their head when she gets a call from Marco that same day. Soon after, Noah also wants to come for a visit. Suddenly Elle goes from living alone to having three male roommates in a brand new country. EllexNoah, EllexMarco. Enjoy!
Relationships: Elle Evans/Marco Peña (The Kissing Booth), Elle Evans/Noah Flynn
Comments: 10
Kudos: 25





	1. Lee Arrives

Elle's P.O.V.-

Dear reader, I went to Berkeley.

Seven Years Later:

Seoul, South Korea-

I quickly ruffled through the contents of my bag. "Let's see. Phone, wallet, water bottle, tea thermos, train pass for Lee, uh what else…..? What am I missing?" With a quick sweep through this floor of my apartment, I realized that I had everything I would need for the time being. I stuffed the rest of my bungeoppang bun I got last night into my mouth and grabbed my house keys. The front door was locked, and I was on my way to the train station, trying to chew and swallow as I hurried down the street.

The train wasn't too crowded this time of day, which isn't really saying much to be honest. And I thought Los Angeles was congested. Ha, oh naïve, simple me. I'd never really experienced anything like Seoul before; well, Paris was also crowded but this was a whole different level. Plus I kinda stuck out like a sore thumb wherever I went.

It took me over an hour to arrive at Incheon Airport. I'd only been here once before, back when I first moved to South Korea. Finding Lee in this massive place wasn't going to be easy, especially considering that he didn't have a phone over here. We hatched a plan before his flight from California took off. We'd meet in Big Bowl in Terminal Two's restaurant area. I mainly chose this location because its sign was in English. Once I got there, it was another forty-five minutes until Lee showed up. I anticipated this long wait, so I brought some work along with me to pass the time.

I was in the middle of page five of my article when a familiar, wonderful voice called out to me. It was technically considered rude to do that in a Korean public space, but I suppose Lee wouldn't know that. "Elle!" My head lifted up to see my best friend making a mad dash towards where I was sitting. A smile drew across my lips as I set my paper down. "Lee!" He caught me in his widespread arms, lifting me up off the floor a little. "Ah, Elle!" "Lee," I held him so tightly, wrapping my arms around his waist. Lee; my glorious, special, most marvellous friend- Lee. He was here. After five months of not seeing each other, he was finally here. And I couldn't have been happier in that moment.

Naturally the first thing I did was offer to take Lee out to dinner; cause I could afford that, I say in a sarcastic tone. Lucky for me though, Lee just wanted to go home and crash. He wasn't used to the time difference yet and was exhausted from the flight. I complied and we took the train straight back to my end of Seoul. I'd shown Lee around my apartment via FaceTime before but was surprised and astonished to actually see it in person. He set his little suitcase down at the front of the apartment and took a look around.

"Whoa, this place is huge!" "A two-story apartment, Lee," I was currently in the kitchen getting us two cups of water. "How can you afford this place?! I thought your stipend was piddly this year." "It is, but Daddy's inheritance has helped Brad and me out a lot. Plus I got a good deal- it's so far from the university campus," I came over to him, handing him a full glass. He took a sip and continued looking around in awe. Sure beat the single dorm rooms we had in undergrad and masters.

"Does your landlord know I'm staying for the next three months?" "Sure does, and thankfully, she didn't increase my rent… yet." "Well if she does, I'll cover it. I'm just so glad I finally got to come out and see you, Elle." "I'm glad your supervisor was so understanding. You really lucked out with him, Lee." My best friend nodded. "Yeah, Berkeley's been good to me. And what about you?" "Me?" "Yes, you. How's Seoul National University treating you? Miss Edinburgh yet?" "A little. Korea's been such a culture shock, but I'm so happy I'm here. I'm so lucky my supervisor gave me the go ahead to go aboard to research." "Gotta love being a PhD candidate," Lee grinned. "I'll drink to that," we clanked our glasses together.

Lee and I graduated from Berkeley together and both applied for masters' positions everywhere. By the time I was done with undergrad, I knew I wanted to be an academic. Researching and traveling was in my blood. So it was only nature that I went aboard for masters and PhD. I got my masters in Amsterdam, where I lived for two years. Then I moved to Edinburgh for PhD. A large part of my thesis was on Asian folklore, and where better to study that than in Asia? In my second year of PhD, my supervisor called me into his office with a research proposition. The rest is history.

Lee went to plop himself down onto my couch, where I joined him. He threw his head back and then flashed me a smile- a true, genuine smile. "It's really good to see you again, Elle." "Likewise, Lee. You're looking good." "So are you. I can see you're taking advantage of the Korean face cream available." I laughed. Well, he's not wrong. "I'll take that as a compliment. Are you hungry?" "Starving, but I'm too tired to eat right now." "What if I made you some ramen?" I offered. Lee thought for a moment before a knowing smile grew across his lips. Ok, I knew what that smile meant. He watched me get up and head back to the kitchen, which was in view of the living room he was currently in.

"Wanna an egg in it too?" I called back. "Is that something they do out here?" He hollered in return. "Yes." "Then sure; toss an egg in. Why not?" Why not? Wait, do I even have any eggs? Shoulda checked this before I offered. I could hear Lee sigh from here while I went to look in the fridge. His gaze was locked onto me again.

"So, you meet any smexy men out here yet?" There was a playful tone to Lee's voice. I rolled my eyes, partly because I saw the lack of eggs in my apartment. Oops. "Come on, Lee. You know there's been no one since Noah. Besides, I would have told you." "Seriously, Elle? You've been here for months now. You must have saw someone on campus or somewhere. Noah broke up with you when you chose Berkeley; it's time to move on. That ship has sailed." An annoyed sigh fell from my lips. "It has nothing to do with Noah, Lee; I'm so over him. You know that. It's just that school's been really busy. I'm teaching, researching, writing; I don't have time for any of that." "Uh huh, sure. Whatever you have to tell yourself," Lee's head threw back again. I shot him a light-hearted glare but turned back to cooking his ramen. I was down to three packs and wouldn't be able to go food shopping until Saturday- fantastic.

While I was in the middle of doing all that, my phone vibrated on my counter. Initially I ignored it, turning the stove on and opening the package. Lee was half asleep by now, so I stayed quiet for the time being. Yeah, I don't blame him for being so tired; the time-change is always super hard on me as well. With the water set to boil, I then turned my attention to a finding a suitable replacement for Lee's egg. That's when my phone buzzed again. Afraid it might disturb Lee, I picked it up this time, only for my eyes to grow gigantic at the name and number appearing on the screen. As quietly as possible, I slipped into the hallway and pressed the answer key. My voice was a low whisper speaking into the phone.

"Marco?"


	2. Here, There Was Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lee and Elle go out for coffee.

I managed to scrape up enough money to take Lee out for a coffee and pastry. There was this local café near my place which I liked- they made good donuts which were perfect for breakfast. I got a hot chocolate while Lee got this fancy coffee I don't know the name of along with a tart. We sat at a two-person table beside the front window where we could eat and talk in peace. We spoke in English, so I wasn't too worried anyway.

Lee shoved half his pastry into his mouth. "Marco? Really? It's been what? Seven, eight years?" "Almost eight years. The last time I saw him was at high school graduation." "And he just up and called you out of the blue like that? After no contact for all these years? And on the same day I got here too; that's eerie, man." "I know. That's some coincidence, right?" I took a small sip of my hot beverage and set down my cup. I never drank anything hot too fast.

"What did he say? Just calling to say hi or…..?" My best friend inquired. I gave a mild shrug. "He said he's coming to Seoul this weekend and asked if I'd like to meet up." "Wait, what?! He's really coming all the way to Seoul?" Lee gasped shocked. "He said he's coming for a school thing; probably like the same deal I have," I nodded. "Whoa, talk about scary coincidences. You guys don't talk all throughout undergrad and masters, and now you're suddenly both in a different country around the world at the same time? That's freaky stuff; I'll tell you what," Lee leaned back in his chair. My shoulder simply gave another mild shrug. "Stranger things have happened, Lee," though this was pretty strange.

A lull in the conversation came over us. I couldn't help but notice Lee eyeing me suspiciously from his side of the table. A mischievous smirk rolled over his face. "So, he wants to meet up, does he?" There was this playfulness to his tone, which I caught right away. My finger immediately pointed to him from across the tabletop. "Oh, no you don't, Lee." "What?" His arms flew out at his side, trying to act all innocent. But I knew better. "I know what you're implying. It's one coffee date- nothing more." "Come on, Elle; read the signs. A boy you used to have a crush on suddenly shows up back in your life? And in South Korea of all places? You can't tell me that doesn't mean something." "It doesn't! I told you before, I don't have time for any guys- besides you, that is. And remember, I liked Marco back when I was dating your brother. I had no business thinking about Marco in that way when I did, and kissing him was a big mistake. No, we're just meeting up as friends. I barely know the man anymore, and I'll probably never see him again after Saturday. We both know it's not a date." My eyebrow twitched when Lee's cocky smile wouldn't disappear. His arms folded for emphasis. "Boy, that was sure a long explanation you gave there- more like justification, I'd say." "Oh, sod off!" And Lee burst out laughing.

After we finished our snack at the café, I took Lee to the downtown part of Seoul and on a tour around my campus. It was Friday afternoon so it wasn't uber busy; Lee and I could walk side-by-side without constantly bumping into people. It would be even more dead tomorrow when I met up with Marco. Marco…. The hands which were holding myself gave my forearms a squeeze. My head turned to give Lee a soft smile.

"What would you like to do this weekend, Lee?" My query seemed to surprise him somewhat, as his eyes shifted over towards me. "This weekend? Aren't you meeting up with Marco tomorrow?" "Well, yes, but that'll only be for a little while. You've slept the last three days, so we haven't really done anything together yet. I thought that you might like to experience some real South Korean culture." "We have three months together, Elle. Trust me, I want to spend all the time I can with you, but I'm in no rush to do anything in particular yet. I honestly think you should wait and see how things go with Marco."

I huffed loudly, turning my head back forward. "Would you stop shipping me and Marco? It's not going to happen, Lee." "I never said it would! And who said I'm shipping you two? Look, all I'm saying is that you and I have lots of time. We live together now; can't get closer than that." Eh, he had a point there. When I didn't verbally respond, Lee saw fit to continue. "Don't worry at me, Elle. We'll do everything on my list in due time; there's no big rush. I'm just so happy to be with you again." "I'm happy to be with you too," my eyes wandered back over to him. His smile only grew at this.

"I wouldn't want to be here with anyone else, Elle." "Thanks, Lee; I mean it. I really missed you…." "Girl, you have no idea how much missing you was killing me." Awe, Lee. "This is going to be a great three months," I sighed happily. "Right? So let's just chill this weekend. I'm still getting over jetlag anyway. We can plan something for next week," Lee's arms clasped and stretched high above him. I looked at him for a second, thinking to myself. "You could come with us, if you want." "Who?" "Me and Marco. You can come to coffee with us." Lee looked straight at me. "Are you kidding? It's not me he wants to see- it's you." "Oh, that's not true, Lee. He just doesn't know you're here. I'm sure Marco would be thrilled to see you again." "Maybe….

But I have a feeling it's not me he'd be looking at."


	3. Sparks Fly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle finally sees Marco for the first time since high school graduation.

(Author's Note: Let me know if you're team Marco or team Noah. I used to be team Noah but after crafting Marco's character, I'm not so sure anymore how I should end this story. Let me know who you'd like Elle to end up with! Many thanks!)

"Ok, Lee! I left a key and some cash for you in the bowl on the counter!" I hollered from the front entrance while scrambling to put on my converses. "Got it!" Lee shouted back from his room upstairs; my apartment had two rooms in it. "I'll be back in a couple of hours! Call me if you need anything!" "Yeah, yeah! Just go! You're gonna be late!" Right! With that, I scurried out of the front door, locking it behind me and running down the street to the train station.

I'll admit I was a little nervous to meet Marco again after all this time. I didn't have social media anymore, so I had no clue what he looked like or was up to now. Well, I knew he was in university somewhere but that was about it. I had no idea where he lived, what his qualifications were, where he worked or if he worked at all, if he was in a relationship- nothing. Still, I treated it as going to meet up with an old high school friend and made myself calm down. I did so by listening to soft classical music the whole train ride to the university. I hopped off at my stop and went straight to the place where we agreed to meet.

I was early, so while I was waiting I pulled out my phone. There was one text message from Lee and a voicemail from another number. Before I checked that, I opened my contacts and found Hong Ji-yoon's number. It rang a couple of times before going to voicemail- it was in Korean. I did not reply in Korean, but she spoke good enough English to understand. "Uh, hi Ji-yoon; it's me. I just wanted to see if you were done with the books we talked about yet. No rush! I just need them by the end of the month. You can bring them back to the library or I can pick them up- whatever's easiest for you. Hope to talk to you soon! Have a good weekend!" Click! A sigh left my lips as my phone lowered from my ear. It's been almost two weeks and no word from her. I bit my lower lip in a slightly worried fashion. I hope she does get back to me soon; I really need those books.

While I was stewing over that, a familiar tall, slender, broad figure approached me from the side. I hadn't noticed since I was checking my voicemail- it was also in Korean. Translated in English, it basically said: [Guess who? That's the third time you've blocked me. Why do you keep ignoring me, you stupid bitch? You think that'll work? Answer your phone, you whore…] It just went on and on. With another long sigh, I pressed "delete" and blocked the new phone number. How does he keep getting new numbers like that? I heard that stocking was bad over here, but this is ridiculous. Oh well, at least he hasn't tried to approach me in person. Speaking of which….

"Elle?"

My heart skipped at beat at the sound of my name coming from a male's mouth. It took a lot of courage to peer to my left side, where he was standing. Him! My eyes couldn't have grown wider. Marco! Oh my god, Marco….. He didn't look a day over nineteen, and that's not an insult. Jesus Christ, I'd forgotten what a beautiful man he is. So tall and gorgeous- he'd make anyone blush. He was still wearing American clothes, which looked quite flattering on him. He looked equally as astonished to see me; not that I think I've glowed up much. My heart skipped yet another beat when his foot took a step in my direction.

"Elle, is that you?" His voice…. I'd also forgotten how addictive his voice could be. Shyly, as if I was some little school girl or something, my head nodded softly. Marco stared at me for half a second more before a bright smile blossomed across his lips. Of course I had to mirror his delighted expression. "Elle…." "Hello, Marco." With that, he came towards me with open arms and we caught each other in an embrace. Our first hug in god knows how long, but my god- it felt so good to be held like that again. No one's held me like this since Noah….

"Where would you like to eat?" "Why are you asking me that?! You just got here; you should choose," I insisted. But Marco merely grinned and shook his beautiful head. "You know what's good around here. You pick; I have full confidence in your choice." I laughed and led him to the same café Lee and I ate at. It was fairly empty when we got there, being a Saturday and all. We went up to the front counter and I looked at Marco. "What would you like?" I asked. He scanned over the menu, which had English subtitles on it because this was a café highly popular with international students. "Mmmmm, it all looks good. What are you having?" He inquired. "Oh, I always get the hot chocolate and cinnamon donut. Heh, they know my order by heart here." Marco smiled and, you guessed it, my heart skipped a beat. It was doing that a lot around him. "Alright, I think I know what I want. Can you order in English here?" "Yes," I nodded. "Good," Marco finally looked forward to the barista who came over to us.

"What can I get you?" The kind lady asked in broken English. Most people, if they could, automatically spoke to me in English. I opened my mouth to reply but Marco cut me off. "Yes, the lady here will have a hot chocolate- large- and a donut. I'll have a cappuccino and a piece of honey bread, please." I was gobsmacked- utterly gobsmacked. No one has ever ordered for me before. I mean, I've always wanted someone to; that's a thing for couples in Korea but not so much in America. Plus the barista would think we're together now; well, we were together but I mean "together" together. This was confirmed by the discreet grin she flashed me from the side. My blush sizzled pink and I wanted to hide my face. She told us the total and Marco didn't hesitate to pull out his card. This time, I had to stop him. "No, that's ok, Marco. Let me pay." "Absolutely not. I'm the one who invited you out, remember?" He flashed me a smile, and all the stars were shining bright. Let's be real.

We sat down at the same table Lee and I did earlier. We had our pastries and the barista said that she'd bring out our drinks when they were ready. Marco and I decided to wait to eat our treats until we had our beverages. This gave us ample talking time. Macro sat back in his seat and folded his hands on his lap in a relaxed fashion. I watched him glance around in a sort of awe.

"Wow, I can't believe I'm finally here. After all this time….. Doesn't seem real." "Do you like Seoul so far?" I asked interested. "Oh yeah. It's sure different from San Diego," Marco nodded. "Oh, so you're going to UC, then?" "Just got my offer last year. Graduated from Stanford with as MSc last fall." "An MSc? Good for you!" There was praise in my voice, which made him grin. "Hey, you got the same in Amsterdam, didn't you?" "How do you know that?!" My eyes grew in surprise. He chuckled softly. "I read your profile. You have quite an academic track record. An honours degree, a masters degree…." "And now I'm a PhD candidate- guess I don't learn," I laughed and he shook his head. "We both didn't learn. Who knew that we'd both pick a career in academia?" "Not me. I thought you'd do something with music," I gently retorted. His grin only continued to grow and grow.

"I am, actually. I'm studying the development of folk music in different cultures." "Oh wow! That's amazing! Yes, I can definitely see you being good in that," I announced. "That's why I'm here. I got a grant from my department to transfer to Seoul National University to do some field research. I'm here for the semester." "The whole semester?" My eyes widened, and he nodded again. "Until the summer." "Wow, that's incredible. Good for you! Research grants are hard to get, especially when traveling's involved." That's when Marco's eyes locked onto mine. They were so strong and sincere….. "I could say the same for you." He said that, and my lips parted a sliver. Yeah, I guess he's right there…. I was so impressed with his efforts when I'd done the exact same. But I was still impressed, nonetheless.

As if reading the expression on my face, Marco's grin naturally widened. He pulled up one leg to rest his elbow on it casually. "So, Edinburgh? Fell in love with Europe, did ya?" "Oh yes. I went on an exchange to the University of Paris in my third year of undergrad." "You did that while in the honours program?!" He gasped. "Yes. Granted, it did make it a bit harder, but it was so worth it. I was in Paris for nine months; during which I did maybe a bit too much traveling. I went backpacking all throughout Europe during Easter break, starting in Amsterdam and winding up in Crete." "Crete? How did you manage that?" "I have no idea. It just sorted happened," I laughed. Then our gazes met yet again, they softening onto each other's. "But yeah. I fell head over heels for Amsterdam, and so applied for masters there. Edinburgh's also got a special place in my heart, so that was the next choice." "And now you're here." "Now I'm here," I grinned. I smiled at him and he smiled back at me. Everything was going so…. easy; being around Marco wasn't hard in the slightest, making me realize how foolish I was to be worried about it earlier.

I leaned back in my own chair and rested my elbow on its top. "By the way, I have a question for you." "Shoot," Marco replied kindly. "How did you know I was in Seoul right now? I don't remember seeing it online anywhere." "Oh, that. When my grant got approved, I contacted Seoul's International University to see if there were any other American PhDs' studying there; you know, just to network. They sent me back a list of all postgrads from America, which is surprisingly long. I scanned it over and saw your name as a visiting PhD candidate. Luckily for me, you hadn't changed your phone number since high school. Who does that?" "Ah, I kept the same sim card from senior year when I moved to Amsterdam. I have a UK number now, but I use this card outside of Europe," I explained. "Why don't you just get a Korean phone?" "Your grant is obviously more than my stipend." And he laughed. "I sincerely doubt that, but I'm glad you didn't change it. Since you don't have Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, I don't know how I would have found you otherwise." "Well in that case, I'm glad I kept it too," I said before thinking. When I realized what I'd just said, Macro was already looking at me a bit astonished. My cheeks flushed a bright pink. Oops, I didn't mean to say that…. out loud at the very least.

Marco seemed charmed by my stunned and flustered realization, but he was polite enough not to point it out. Instead he tactfully changed the topic. "How long are you in Seoul for?" "Another six months. My contract was for a year abroad." "Mmmmmm, and then you're going to go back to Edinburgh and write your thesis?" "If all goes according to plan. I'm also teaching so it might take an extra year. I'll try to finish up in third year though." "You're teaching? On top of your research? That's pretty impressive, Elle." "Oh no, lots of other students do it." "Name five." "Uh…. well, I'm sure they do," I giggled, causing Marco to shake his head. "You need to give yourself more credit, girl. What you're doing is not easy." "I'll agree with you on that. I had no idea what I was signing myself up for when I accepted my PhD offer; but then, which PhD candidate does." "Haha, truth," Marco sounded happy, which in turn made me happy. Don't ask me why; I don't know either. But I was just then; I really was.

What Marco said next made my heart jump sky-high. "I've actually read some of your articles." I nearly choked on thin air, coughing and hacking a little. "You did?!" I was not expecting that- not at all. Even Lee hasn't read any of my work; too boring, he says. But Marco simply nodded. "You're very good. I can see why the university chose to you give research funding of all people. You're a safe bet." "R-Really?" My hand rose up to my beating chest. No one's ever said anything like that to me before. It was flattering; more flattering than any other compliment I could receive. And I think Marco knew that. His face remained adamant. "I'm the one who's impressed here, Elle. But then, I knew I would be." "H-How's that?" I had no idea what he was talking about.

Marco leaned back in his chair once more and had this wistful glint in his eyes. "I could tell, back when we met in high school. I've always been able to tell about people; it's a gift…. And from the first moment I saw you, I knew." "Knew what?" My eyebrow raised slightly. His smiled grew in its edges. "That you were in for an extraordinary life. And looks like my assumptions were right. How many graduates from our class are traversing the world, researching and adding to the vast body of human knowledge?" "Haha, that sounds really cheesy," I giggled. His eyes lowered onto me. "Heh, cheesy but true. Most girls back home are married and living fairly basic lives. But here you are, in South Korea working on a PhD thesis. Yeah, I was right; you proved me right."

I smiled at him, so intensely charmed. The way he talked… after not speaking for nearly a decade. Yet here we were, on the other side of the world, having coffee and chitchatting together. It had been only fifteen minutes but it felt much, much shorter than that. And I wasn't ready for our first meeting to be over; not by a long shot. I was too happy right now. "Thank you, Marco. That's really nice of you to say." "Well, its true." "It's still nice to hear, nonetheless," my eyes lowered onto him.

An organic pause came over us, only broken when my gaze gently lifted back up to him. "Do you have somewhere to stay yet?" Marco then sighed, giving his shoulder a light shrug. "Eh, plans with my would-be landlord didn't fall through. Currently I'm staying at an Airbnb until I can find a place." My mouth automatically opened and I was about to offer him to stay at my place. But I stopped myself, afraid it might look weird since we just met up and all. I wanted to invite him to stay but felt it might make things awkward. So instead I reformulated the words inside my head before saying anything. "You'll find somewhere to stay soon," was what I managed to get out. Marco nonchalantly nodded in agreement. Ah, good old Marco; never too worried about much. Good thing he still kept that attitude after all these years.

It was around now that the barista finally carried our drinks over. They were steaming, they were so piping hot. She set them down onto the table and grinned at us. "Sorry for the wait," she apologized. "No, it's fine!" I waved my hand dismissively. "We're in no hurry," Marco added, making me look at him. No hurry, huh? Well in that case….. I did perk up however, when the barista pointed at Marco while looking at me. "This your boyfriend?" She asked me. This wasn't rude; we'd gotten to know each other somewhat over the past couple of months. Still, I couldn't stop myself from blushing embarrassed.

"N-No, he's a friend," I timidly corrected. She considered this for a moment before nodding her head in seeming comprehension. "Oh! The boy from yesterday is your boyfriend, then?" "Boy from yesterday?" Marco turned to me, his eyebrow lifting. My hands immediately rose up defensively. "No! That was Lee! He's here visiting me for a couple of months." "Lee? Oh, Lee! That guy you were always hanging around with in high school. He's here too?" "Yes. Ironically, he got here the day you called me." "Whoa, talk about coincidence! He's just here for a visit, then?" "Yeah. His supervisor gave him some time off from researching this thesis. He's still at Berkeley." "Really? So you went aboard to four schools and he stayed back in the states?" "W-Well, Lee's never been so gung-ho about traveling as me. He only came to South Korea because we haven't seen each other in a long time." Marco thought this over for a second. "I see. This is a…. long distance relationship sort of thing?"

"What?! Me and Lee? Oh no! No! He's like a brother to me. Granted, we are very close, but there's never been anything between us that's not platonic. No, I'm not…. seeing anyone at the moment," I felt a little shy admitting this. It's like I'm insinuating something which I didn't mean too. Thankfully, Marco was a gentleman and didn't draw attention to it. He merely nodded his head in a relieved manner. "Good. I bet school's been keeping you real busy anyway." "You have no idea," I chuckled to myself.

Another lull in the conversation fell between us. We each took a sip from our cups and then gazed back at the other. The way my face looked now was soft, and so was Marco's. "So…..?" "So?" "You'll be on campus a lot this semester, I take it?" "Sure will, as I assume you are too." "Oh yeah. I gotta teach and have office hours and everything." "Good. Then we'll be sure to see each other around," Marco remarked. I blinked up to him both with shyness and eagerness. "We will?" While my gaze was hesitant and humble, Marco's was firm and sincere…. He looked at me with such sincerity. "Yes, Elle. We got all semester now to catch up, if you want to." "I do! But…. won't you be too busy, what with your research? I don't want to cause any unnecessary distractions…" Marco didn't say anything for a long moment after this; he just kept his eyes on me, almost effortlessly so. Eventually an intent grin grew across his lips; his eyes lowered onto me. "We'll see each other around, whether on campus or elsewhere.

We will see each other."


	4. Better Things To Think About

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lee and Elle have a chat about Elle and Marco's meeting.

"So, how was your date with Marco?" "I told you- it wasn't a date." "What kind of "non-date" lasts for over four hours? You didn't come home until seven last night." "We went for coffee…. then a walk around campus…. then out for noodles. Look, don't read too much into it! Macro's just here for the semester, then he's going back to San Diego. Neither of us have time for….. any of that," I was in the middle of doing the laundry. Lee was helping by grabbing all the sheets off the bed and bringing them down into the laundry room; more like a closet. He put the sheets he was carrying down into my lone laundry basket and straightened up to look at me.

"Ok, fine; so it wasn't a date. Are you going to see him again?" "Course I'll see him. We'll be at the same campus, after all." "No, I mean "see him" see him. Like go out on a non-date again." I paused to glance over at Lee. See Marco again? We didn't have any definite plans, but….. ["We will see each other."] That sounded like a confirmation that we would. I waited a second before answering. "Yeah, I think so. At least few more times anyway," I then tossed some pink sheets into the washer.

Lee yawned, stretching his arms up into the air. "On that cheerful note, whatcha wanna do for dinner tonight? We've had ramen at home for the past three nights." "Wanna have ramen at the convenience store?" I playfully inquired, earning an unimpressed glare from Lee. "Not funny. We need to eat some real food sometime, Elle." "Look, I have the privilege of living and going to school aboard. Part of the deal is being a poor, starving student. We're stereotypes, ok? Ramen is what I can afford right now. It was MacDonald's back in Scotland." Lee hummed this over, spreading his gaze around the floor. "Wanna do MacDonald's tonight?" He suggested. I shot him a look but thought it over. With a long sigh, I rolled my eyes dramatically. "Alright." "Yay! My first Korean MacDonald's!" "But we gotta order off the kids' menu." "Ah, what?! That's…."

Before Lee could finish his rant, my phone vibrated from the kitchen where it was pulled in. Since I was busy getting the laundry in the washer, Lee went to check it. "Hey, Elle! Some blocked number is calling you," he called out to me. "Oh, fock. How did he manage that? Just leave it!" "You sure?" "Yes; it's no one important. Just refuse the call." With a casual shrug, Lee did as he was told and pressed "don't answer". Of course it went to voicemail, but I'd delete that later. Lee was about to say something else before his phone started to vibrate literally seconds after he hung up the call on my phone. They weren't related.

Lee pulled his phone from out his pocket to check the screen. He looked and let out a loud, exasperated groan. "Who is it?" I asked him. "Noah," Lee growled back. "Noah?!" This certainly caught me by surprise. Honestly- and I'm not sure why- that was the last person I'd expect to be calling Lee. They were brothers, sure, but they weren't the closest of family. Ever since Lee and I went off to Berkeley, Noah hadn't had much communication with Lee; he had zero with me.

Lee rejected Noah's call and threw his phone down onto the couch. I blinked at him, still astounded. "Why didn't you answer? What does he want?" "Who knows. He's been calling me nonstop since I got here." "He has?!" What a day for surprises. Lee staggered over to the armchair where he collapsed into it. "That's so like him. He ignores me while I'm in America, but the moment I leave the country he wants to get a hold of me for some reason." "Maybe it's an emergency." "Nah, my parents would have called me then. No, he's just being a jerk trying to interrupt my vacation. I wouldn't put it past him." "How does he know you're even here? I thought he was New York?" "Last I heard he was, but that was over a year ago. He didn't come home for Christmas last year. My folks must have told him I'm here; otherwise he wouldn't be calling me." Boy, Lee had become very bitter towards his brother over the years. He was pissed off when Noah broke up with me. He was never keen on us dating in the first place, but he witnessed the wreck Noah left me in. Seriously, I was messed up for a little while after Noah dumped me. Lee's relationship with Noah had never been the same after that; needless to say, Lee took my side. Still…..

"Maybe you should answer next time he calls. Just see what he wants," I suggested. Lee scoffed. "I don't care what he wants. I'm not going to let him sink his hooks into me from across the world; so not going to happen. He can wait 'til I'm back in California to talk to me." My eyes lowered onto him from where I was standing. "Come on, Lee. He's you're brother." "Yeah, so?" "So you should at least hear what he has to say." "I don't owe him anything, Elle. Besides, he's your ex. Why should you care about what he wants?" "Uh, maybe because I'm not a spiteful human being?" "Wrong answer! Look, just leave it alone. If Noah wants to talk to me so bad, he can wait until I'm back home in three months. There's no other way he can get a hold of me out here anyway." "Really?" My eyebrow raised unsure. "Yeah? You still have him blocked on your phone, right?" "Yes," and unlike my stocker situation, Noah hasn't been able to get a hold of me since- assuming he wanted to at all, which I doubt.

"Great, see? If I ignore his calls for long enough, he'll get the message and leave me alone." "Don't you think you're being a little too mean, Lee?" "No? You saw the way he treated us when we were kids, and after what he did to you….. No, I don't want to talk to him- end of story." But I wasn't so convinced. "Mmmmmm, you sure about that?" I tossed a pillowcase into the washing machine. Lee nodded with absolute certainly. "Without a doubt. And don't worry about Noah; he's doing just fine, going back to his womanizing ways, I'm sure. You got more important things to think about now." "Yeah, like my research," I concurred. Lee hummed to himself, rolling onto his stomach so to see me.

"Hmmmmm I was thinking more about Marco, but sure; that works too."


	5. Small Cute Moments Sprinkled In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco comes to take Elle to school. Lee comes along.

"Come on, Lee! I don't want to be late!" I hollered to him upstairs. "I'm coming!" Yeah, I knew that, Lee; I just want to make sure you're coming soon. I grabbed my backpack and was going for my spring coat. While I was struggling to get that on with one hand, my doorbell rang, which was weird because no one rang for my door in specific. "Who is it?" I asked the intercom in Korean. "Elle?" A familiar said from the other end. My eyes instantly widened. "Marco?"

Of course I had to go down to see him, leaving Lee to lock up. Marco was waiting out there with a bag of his own. His hands were buried nonchalantly in his pant pockets. He flashed me a brilliant smile when I opened the bottom door onto the street. "Hey, Marco. What are you doing here?" "I was going to campus and wanted to see if you'd like to take the train with me." "But you're staying like… not close to here?" I pressed confusedly. He cracked a little grin. "Guilty. But since I'm here, wanna come with me?" Marco…. My lips parted a sliver. You mean to say that you came all this way just so we could ride the train to university together? Awe, that was so sweet. Naturally I couldn't resist smiling.

"Sure, just wait a moment." "Ok," I'm sure he was curious as to why I wanted to wait, but he didn't press the issue. Instead he scanned over my building, keeping his hands in his pockets. "Nice place." "Thanks." "Which one is yours?" "Uh, the top two on the right side. I have a two-story apartment plus a rooftop patio." "Sounds spacious." "Heh, well it's a little more crowded now. How's where you're staying?" "Eh, ordinary. Just your basic one-bedroom apartment." "That's nice," I encouraged. He shrugged. "Not a bad location. Yours is better, though." "It's an hour away from campus." "Like I said, not too bad," he smirked, and I chuckled.

"Well I'm glad you showed up. It'll be fun to go into school together," I declared. "I'm glad we met up on Saturday," Marco tacked on. "Yeah. Just out of curiosity, why did you call me to meet up for coffee?" "Why?" Marco asked, and I suddenly felt a little stupid. "Yes. I mean, we didn't part on the best of terms back in Los Angeles. Looking back, I was…. downright mean to you. Kissing you and running away like that, I mean." "Eh, it was a nice kiss. But I get where you're coming from. You're right; we didn't end on the best of terms." Marco…. My gaze lowered onto him gently. "So why did you?" "Because you didn't return." "Return where?" "To Los Angeles." Oh…. Oh! Cue the blushing here.

For the first time, Marco seemed to catch himself off guard too. He blinked, flinching ever so slightly as if he realized what he'd just said. "I mean, I heard you got into Berkeley. I just never got a chance to say a proper goodbye; that's all. Eh, I'm sounding so stupid," he scratched the side of his head a bit awkwardly. My grin grew charmed. "No, you don't sound stupid. You could never sound stupid." "Haha, well you just haven't talked to me enough then." I was about to say that he could never sound stupid when Lee came through the door. "Why'd you leave like that, Elle? I'd forgotten where I'd put my house key," Lee's scolding was cut short by the sight of Marco standing there with me. Lee's face lit up in surprise.

"Marco?" "It's Lee, right?" "Yeah, Lee; Lee Flynn. Marco! Hey, man! I heard you were in town!" They slapped hands in that bro-style high five. Marco gave him a friendly smile. "Hey, man. Good to see you again. What are the chances we'd be here at the same time?" "I know, right?! Unless you were hoping I wouldn't be here," Lee smirked and I frowned at him. "Lee….." "I'm joking! Sorta….." Marco laughed. "Nah, man; it's all good. I'm just glad Elle's got a good friend here." "That's true, bro. She's not alone in this massive city." "You guys," I blushed while rolling my eyes. Marco glanced at me, grinned, then turned his attention back to Lee. "What're you doing, Flynn? Coming down to campus with us?" "Is that why you're here? Taking Elle to her lecture?" Lee had that mischievous grin of his. "Yes. And you?" "I'm going to the university. I want to go listen to Elle's lecture this morning." "Then you're welcome to join us," Marco invited him. This made me smile. I could see he and Lee being friends, and since they'll both be here for a while, I hope we can make this work.

Unfortunately, being a Monday morning, the train was rather crowded. There was usually only one seat left, and the boys always let me have it. But by the third stop, it was becoming too busy; we were losing sight of each other. That's when Lee got the brilliant idea to get off and grab the next train in fifteen minutes. I'd be cutting the clock really close, but we couldn't keep on like this, so I agreed; so did Marco. I got off at some place I wasn't familiar with, and the signs weren't much help either. We were going to wait until we got to campus to get breakfast but seeing as we had a tiny bit of time now, we decided to take advantage of it. The three of us found and clambered into a local pastry bakery. The boys were examining the goodies while I went to the bathroom quickly. I had emerged drying my still-damp hands on jeans when I found them conversing amongst themselves. It soon became apparent that they thought I was out of earshot.

"Mmmmmm, I can't decide," Lee hummed to himself while pondering over the pastries. Marco summoned a baker over. "Can I have one of each, please?" He asked her. "One of each, bro?!" Lee blinked in bewilderment. Marco merely smiled at him. "I don't know which one she likes." "Elle?! Dude, she'd eat any of these." "Good. We'll let her pick first and have the rest." "Oh, ok; that works," realizing that he'd get a tart out of the deal, Lee conceded. Marco kept watching him, I noticed.

"So, you're staying with Elle, then?" "Yeah. She's got the extra bedroom, so why not? But I'm getting pretty sick of ramen, I'll tell you what." "You're staying in the guest bedroom?" Marco questioned. Lee seemed surprised by this query. "Yeah? Where else would I sleep? The couch? Nah, the extra room works just fine." "Are you that close to her?" Marco asked. Again, Lee seemed taken aback. "With Elle? She's like my twin sister; I've known her all my life. But bro, she's a lot of work." I frowned. Lee….. Marco's head simply nodded and Lee looked as if he got an idea. That clever smirk made an appearance across his lips.

"Actually, I wish someone would just go out with her- whoever it is." Lee! My eyes grew in utter horror. But Marco's….. "Oh?" There was a hint of something in his voice. Lee nodded. "I'm going back to Berkeley soon, so I can't keep watching out for her. Sure would be nice if someone could keep an eye on her for me…" Oh my god, Lee; could be more obvious? But Marco's lips opened, and not in a bad way. "Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that, Flynn. Elle's the type of girl who'd make any guy happy to watch out for her." Marco! My hand rose up to my chest. Only then did I make my presence known.

We talked all the way back to the train station. I thanked Marco for the pastries over and over again. He waved his hand in the air and said it was nothing. At least the three of us had breakfast and lunch now. "Let me make you dinner to repay you, Marco," I felt it right to offer. "Don't do it, man. She'll make you ramen- I guarantee it," Lee butt in. "Lee!" Marco laughed at us before shaking his head. "I like ramen," he replied, making me smile. Awe, that was cute. Lee must have thought so too, judging by the way he grinned at Marco.

"What's your lecture on today, Elle," Marco then asked me. "Ah, it's about Korean folklore. It's a first-year mythology course. As part of my studies, I'm focusing on Eastern philosophical literature and how it's evolved differently in comparison to Western philosophical literature. Literature from both sides draw heavily from local mythology, so I'm studying that as well. Today is on the Korean version of the grim reaper. It's totally different than our Western version of the grim reaper…"

I only stopped when I noticed how dull I was sound. I shyly peaked over to Marco, embarrassed I just went off on a tangent like that. "I'm sorry if I'm boring you….." But Marco simply smiled- effortlessly so. "Nah, I find whatever you say interesting." My lips parted a sliver as I continued to look at him. Marco…. Before I knew it, I was blushing. Lee didn't help matters either. "Awe, that is so sweet. Isn't that sweet, Elle?" My best friend cooed, making me roll my eyes. Well, cute moment over. But it was cute, though…

however short it was.


	6. You Make Me So Happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lee and Elle have some time together.

Class was over and Lee got up to stretch his limbs. He came down from the back to the front of the classroom where I was standing. I was shuffling papers, getting them ready to put back into my backpack. "That wasn't as boring as I thought it would be." "See? My work isn't boring." "Well….." Lee began before winking at me so I'd know he was joking. I grinned back at him and tossed on my bag.

"What are you going to do now?" My best friend inquired. "I gotta go to the library. I'm waiting for a girl named Ji-yoon to bring some books I really need back." "Oh…. Well, do you have to go right now?" "I got office hours in two hours; I have to be back at the department by then." "It won't take you two hours to find some books. Let's go on a walk; you can give me yet another tour around campus." "Lee, I can't…" But he was having none of it. He shook his head and grinned keenly my way. "One hour, Elle. That's all I'm asking. Then I'll go do my own thing until we meet back home for dinner. Mmmmm ramen tonight- can't wait," he stated in a mocking tone. I gave his shoulder a playful shove. "Don't tease. I do my best." "And I know you do. Come on."

Lee and I walked and talked for a good hour, finally ending up in the parky area of campus. There was this perfect gigantic oak tree for us to lay under. We lounged there, nibbling at some of the leftover tarts Marco had given us from this morning. Lee was laying on his back with his arm folded to rest his head against. I was sitting contently beside him. Neither of us said anything for a long time, and eventually Lee let out a happy sigh. I nodded in agreement.

"It's moments like this I missed back home….." "Mmmmm, me too," my head nodded a second time. "Unbelievable. We can still feel the same all the way here in Korea. It's like being back in Los Angeles again…." "Yeah, except we're much older now." "Older, not wiser," Lee laughed. "I'm not sure about that," I countered in a gentle manner. Lee shut his eyes, breathing in deeply for a moment.

"Tell me the truth, Elle. Do you ever miss Berkeley?" My best friend asked when he finally reopened his eyes. "Do I ever miss Berkeley? Sometimes I do…. But I also miss Paris, and Amsterdam, and Edinburgh. I know I'll miss Seoul when I move back home too. I don't know…. It feels like each place I live leaves an imprint on me. It takes a piece of me which is especially carved out for it, and that hole inside of me is never filled- not completely." Lee watched me as a soft smile rolled across my moist lips. I was staring out at nothing for the moment, though I could see so much inside my mind. "But I'm so happy I have those holes. I feel like they each contribute to the shape of my character, if that makes any sense." And Lee lowered his eyes onto me tenderly. "Yeah, it does….."

"What about you, Lee? Are you happy back at Berkeley?" He thought it over for a minute. "Yeah, I am. To be honest, I really missed you when you moved to Amsterdam. Those first few years were really hard for me. But I guess at some point I grew up and realized that if you're happiest out in Europe, that's what's best for both of us." "Oh?" "Yeah. I'd rather you'd be insanely happy out there than keep you at Berkeley just for my sake. Heh, now how's that for mature?" "You are very mature, Lee," my eyes lowered upon him. "So are you- mostly," he added with a kind smirk, which I mirrored.

"But that doesn't change the fact, Lee. You've brought me so much happiness in my life." "Yeah…. Same here, Elle. I couldn't have asked for a better best friend. You've been through it all. My thorny relationship with Noah, my dating and breakup with Rachel, heh that stupid kissing booth," he said and I laughed. "We really have been through everything together, haven't we? And now we're in Seoul together….." "Yes. How'd that happen?" "I don't know, Lee. I really don't know," I couldn't stop laughing. Lee's expression, however, was serious for a moment.

"But I mean it, Elle. Nothing will change what we have- ever. Nothing….." "I know that, Lee." "I wouldn't change a thing. Not if it got us to where we are now." "Me either. I'd take the good and the bad…. Even dating your brother again. If it meant we'd be right here right now like this, I'd do it without a second thought," I gazed up at the sky wistfully. Lee looked at me. He looked at me so tenderly….. "Yeah, Elle; it's true. It doesn't matter how hurt I've been, or how broken down I've gotten…..

It's always been you who's made me smile again."


	7. Unexpected Kindness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle runs into Marco in the library.

"Book, book….. Where are you book?" I wandered through the aisles in the library looking for any title that might match what Ji-yoon should have brought back. So far, no luck. I turned a corner to the next aisle. One title not on the list but one I could use nonetheless revealed itself on the second top shelf. It was beside some cardboard manuscripts. I reached up for it, only to wince when the edge of the cardboard folder gave the side of my thumb a nasty paper cut. Wincing, I quickly retracted my hand and found the simmering of blood in the cut. It hurt like hell but wasn't too big. Sticking it in my mouth to suck up the blood, I decided to leave the book and carry on my search.

I guess I don't learn. Pretty soon I found another set of books I don't exactly need but could come in handy in the future. Only this time, they were on the top shelf. Being just over five feet tall, retrieving items on tops shelves has always been an issue for me. I pursed my lips together as I stretched to my tippy toes, trying desperately to grab hold of them. I suppose I was too distracted to notice the other presence come from around the bend to join me in the aisle.

I blinked in surprise as a bigger hand reached up to pull down the book for me. Marco was there beside me with the book in his right hand. "Marco?!" He smiled. "Is this the book you wanted?" "Er, well those two too," I awkwardly replied. He looked up, grabbed the books, and handed them to me. "Here you go." "Thanks," my hands took the books, holding them close to me.

"What are you doing here?" "Came to grab a few things. Saw you and couldn't resist saying hi," Marco remarked casually. I grinned, feeling all good inside. "Hi." "Hi….." He responded back with his usual, carefree smile. "What about you? Looking for some research material?" I nodded, though what I was really after wasn't here. "I have my office hours in a few minutes, so I wanted to stop by before then. My stuff is over there," I pointed to the desk where my backpack was resting on the chair. Marco glanced over to it, then back at me. I grinned at him warmly.

"How are you liking Seoul International University so far? Getting on well with your supervisor?" "He's alright. I love the campus; my department building isn't too bad either. I can definitely see myself here for six months." "Good," my grin grew. His did too until he noticed my thumb. I watched as his smile began to fade; his eyes locked onto my cut.

"What happened to your hand?" Curious, I glanced back at it; I honestly forgot it was there for a second. "Oh, I got a papercut earlier. It doesn't hurt," I then reassured him. While I doubt I convinced him, he nodded his head slightly nonetheless. "So… what do you have planned for the rest of the day?" Before Marco could answer, the alarm on my phone went off. I groaned inwardly, pulling it out to turn it off. "I've gotta go to my office hours now. It was nice bumping into you, Marco. Have a good afternoon, whatever you're doing." "You too, Elle." "I'm just going to check out these books quickly then I'll grab my things." Marco watched me leave the aisle and head for the check-out desk.

When I returned a few minutes later, Marco was nowhere to be seen. I wasn't surprised; he probably had somewhere to be or was finding books of his own now. I went over to where my stuff was all laid out to pack up. Everything looked just as I left it, but….. I grabbed my backpack and glanced down at my open book on the table.

Laying on the spine of the book, in between the open pages were two little bandages. I set my bag down as I examined the curious sight. Where did these come from? They weren't Korean bandages; I recognized them to be an American brand…. Wait. American brand bandaids…. Who do I know that would have these and excess into the university library? Lee didn't have a student card and the only other person I knew who did….. This weird, elated, bubbly sensation radiated through my chest as I understood who put them there for me. Marco saw the cut on my hand and he's from America…. I picked up the little bandaids; my non-injured thumb ran over their surfaces in a tender manner. Marco….. He left these here for me. An unconscious smile blossomed over my lips. It's like that old saying.

Unexpected kindness is the most underrated and powerful.


	8. A Stressful Phone Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lee finally talks to his brother; Elle overhears their conversation.

I stumbled through the door with my arms full of groceries. It looked like a lot, but everything was fairly cheap what I got. My backpack was dropped onto the ground and I placed the grocery bag down on the couch. "Hello?! Lee?! I'm home!" I hollered after hearing nothing for a second. To my surprise, this was met with yelling- loud yelling- but not at me.

"I don't care if you booked the tickets a year ago, asshat! You can't just show up unannounced like that!" Lee's voice roared out from his room upstairs. Curious, I came to the staircase at the bottom, glancing upward. "Lee?" I called out, to no avail. He just kept screaming into his phone.

"Yes, I know you told me back at Christmas you were coming to Seoul, but I didn't think you'd barge on in while I was here too! Why do you have to come now, of all times?! Can't you just let me have this one thing?" I tiptoed up the stairs, careful not to disturb Lee now. Standing outside his bedroom, I could hear everything he said loud and clear. His voice lowered a bit this time. "Look, this isn't going to be some kind of reunion thing. I got my own life going on here, and you're not going to ruin that." Who's he talking to? Whoever it is, they're making Lee pretty upset.

"Why can't you understand the words coming out of my mouth?! I don't want you to come to Seoul! I don't care if Mom and Dad booked my plane ticket when you had yours scheduled! I completely forgot about that when I agreed to the dates!" A brief paused ensued. "It's not that I don't want to see you; it's just that I think we should meet up back in America. South Korea is not the place to reconcile! And besides, I'm still mad at you! Seriously, what's your problem, Noah?" Noah! My heart skipped a beat as my eyes grew wide. Noah….. He's talking to Noah…. Who is coming to Seoul?! What?!

"If you want to come to Seoul, fine- whatever. But why does it have to be when I'm in the country?! You're not coming here to see me, are you? No, I didn't think so!" Another short pause. "Then why are you coming now? You had seven years to go aboard! Why now of all times…." Lee let out a scandalized gasp. "Wait… You're not coming cause of Elle, are you?! Dude, she doesn't want to see you! You coming here is the last thing she'd want!" Noah…. My hand rose up to my still-pounding chest. Well, Lee's not exactly wrong…. I had no burning desire to see Noah, and Marco had just re-entered my life….. Lee gave a loud huff.

"Oh, don't give me that! Of course I would think that! Elle and I are in South Korea and you suddenly decide to visit here? What am I supposed to think, dick?!" Another pause. "Yes, I know you booked the flight a year ago! Kinda convenient that was around the same time Elle announced moving for her year aboard, isn't it?" Oh my god, he's right! I felt like I was going to be sick. Noah and I hadn't talked in nearly seven years….. I hadn't seen him since he dumped me when I went to mend things at Harvard in my first year of undergrad. I didn't know he knew I was in Korea, but then I guess Lee or his parents could have told him. Still…. I bit my bottom lip with the upmost unease. In that second, all I could think about was the bandage on my thumb….

Lee huffed again, sounded very tired and done with everything. "You listen to me, Noah. Elle wants nothing to do with you- that part of her life is ancient history. She won't see you while you're here. We can hang out- for a little while- but you can forget about seeing her." Lee, my eyes lowered a tad. He's making the call for me, which I guess he's not wrong in…. but…. Do I want to actually avoid Noah like the plague like this? Do I want to see him again? Oh, who am I kidding?! This is the man who tore your heart out and stomped it into the dirt. Of course I don't want to see him! I don't want to see him…..

"Alright, fine! I'll meet you at the airport, but you better find a place to stay on the other side of town. I'm staying with Elle here, and no, I won't give you the address." Yet another pause. "I know you didn't ask for it! I hope your flight gets cancelled, jackass!" Click! I winced at the sound of Lee tossing his phone across the room. His door swung open and he was alarmed to find me standing there, very shocked myself. His eyes grew in horrific realization.

"Elle!" "Lee….." My eyes wandered over to his dumbfounded face. "When did you….? What did you here?" "Enough… So Noah's coming to Seoul?" Lee looked at me for a long time; then he shut his eyes and sighed gravely. "Looks that way. He booked the flight before my parents bought my ticket for a graduation gift. I have a sneaking suspicion they did this on purpose," his hand rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. I nodded and glanced downwards slightly. Lee saw this and panicked. Both his hands flew up in front of him trying to be reassuring.

"B-But don't worry, Elle! You don't have to see him! I already told Noah not to expect you to visit him or anything. He doesn't know where you live anyway, and I doubt he'll go to the university campus. You won't bump into each other; it's such a big city. Please don't worry about it, Elle." I nibbled my lower lip again nervously. "Did he say why he's coming to Seoul?" "Eh, for a vacation. He's always wanted to travel to Asia, and he has some time off work now. Man, talk about sucky timing….." "Yeah…." My eyes lowered.

Lee watched me for another moment before forcing a smile. I flinched at the sensation of his hand reaching over to rest on my shoulder. My head tilted up and his eyes met mine. "Please don't worry, Elle. Noah knows you two are history. He knows that he's the idiot who broke up with you, and that you're over him now. He's assured me that he's not coming here to see you." "Really?" This perked me up a little. Lee nodded with definiteness. "Really." "Does he know that Marco's here?"

The colour drained from Lee's face a little, but he kept his eyes locked onto mine. "Um… no. But he won't care about that! Why should that make any difference? Marco's here for school; Noah's just coming for a vacation. And besides…" "Besides what?" I prompted when Lee failed to finish his sentence. I felt his hand give my shoulder a squeeze. "No, it's a good thing. You'll be too busy to spend any time with him, anyway, now that you and Marco are friends." Lee! I understood entirely where he was going with this, and while I didn't think it wise I date anyone right now, a part of me was starting to….. My hand reached up to cover Lee's; I rubbed the back of his hand with my bandaged thumb. "Lee, I'm really happy Marco's here. I don't want… It's Marco- it's Marco who I want to see more of now, if that doesn't make me sound too dumb." And Lee's eyes softened onto mine. "No, it makes perfect sense. And who knows?

Marco may be the answer to a question you had long since forgotten asking."


	9. Take Me Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle finally confronts Ji-yoon; Marco overhears everything.

My phone buzzed on my desk. Usually I had it on airplane during office hours but turned it on when my last student left. One check of the screen revealed Marco's name. An organic smile grew over my face as I clicked "answer" and brought the device up to my ear.

"Hello?" "Hi, Elle?" Macro's voice rang out from the other end. "Hey, Marco. What's up?" I leaned back in my chair. "Not much. I'm just about to finish up here and wanted to ask if you'd like to ride home together?" "But you need to take the other line to get to your place," my lips curled into a knowing smirk. Marco chuckled on his end. "Fine, you caught me. Then do you want me to ride the train with you back to your place?" "But you won't get home for nearly two hours then." "Eh, the hour with you will be worth it." Awe, Marco; I couldn't stop smiling, I was so delighted.

"I'll meet you in front of your building, alright?" "Ok. See you in a few minutes." "See ya." Click! Still wearing this big, goofy, elated grin, I put my phone down onto my lap and glanced outside my window. I was on the seventh floor, so you could see the whole south campus from up here. Without my realizing so, my grin continued to grow and grow on its own accord. I couldn't believe how much I liked the sound of Marco's voice. The way he talked, the way he said my name- even the way he looked at me. They all made my heart flutter so hard. I hadn't a crush on anyone since well, high school; so I wasn't sure if that was what it was. These past seven years being single have made me romantically inept…. Or maybe the total opposite had happened, and I was scared to admit that I might have feelings for Marco…. After all, if I did like Marco, where would we go from here? He's going back to the states in six months and I'm going to become a UK citizen in six years….. Where would we go? Where could we go?

My eyes scrolled back down to the bandaid on my thumb. Looking at it, a gay smile reappeared on my face. My eyes lowered onto it intently… intently, and tenderly. Ah, I'm being stupid. So what if I may or may not like Marco; he's here now. He's here with me now…. What more could I ask than that? I just want to spend more time with him, enjoy him while he's here. When it ends, it ends; there's nothing I can do about that. He'll get on that plane and I'll likely never seen him again. My eyes narrowed onto the bandage as my finger ran over it with affectionate. He's going to leave, and there's nothing I can do. There was nothing I could about Noah, and the same is true with Marco. But he's here now- this time also belongs to us. My eyes shut and my lips kept smiling sincerely; my lungs drew in a deep, long breath. Yes, this time in between now and then also belongs to me….

It's alright for me to cherish it.

My eyes reopened and my head turned to face back out the window. That gentle happiness radiating through me was quickly dispelled when I spotted a woman walking away from the department down below. My eyes widened as I rushed to the window for a closer look.

Ji-yoon! She's right outside! Without a second thought, I snatched up all my stuff and made a mad dash to the elevators. I wanted to catch her before she disappeared into the maze that was Seoul International University campus. "Come on; come on, come on, come on…." Waiting for the elevator felt like ages. When it finally arrived, I hopped on and rode it to the ground floor.

Ji-yoon wasn't aware of me as I ran out through the automatic doors. "Ji-yoon! Ji-yoon!" I know it's super rude to call to someone loudly like that in public, but I really wanted those books. She stopped to check back behind at me. She honestly looked a bit surprised to see me. "Evans?"

Hong Ji-yong was beautiful- we're talking like gorgeous. She was the type of woman they put on the covers of magazines. Petite, prim, and perfect-looking. While she never raised her voice or spoke to anyone in a rude manner, there was this air about her. She truthfully intimidated me a little. She reminded me a lot of Regina George from the movie, Means Girls. Classy as fock and wasn't afraid to turn her nose up at people. She gave me a look which said it all, but I tried to remain optimistic. I flashed her a friendly smile- or as friendly as I could.

"Hi, Ji-yoon! Boy, am I glad I caught you! I wanted to ask if you uh…. if you were possibly done with those books we talked about?" I rubbed the back of my neck, sounding as painfully awkward as you can imagine. Ji-yoon just looked at me for a second before shifting her feet so to see me better. I felt my stomach start to drop when she gave me an unimpressed expression. "You're still waiting for them?" She asked in English, and a cold shiver ran down my spine. My grin began to fade.

"W-Well, yeah. I need them by the end of this month. They're on the reading list my supervisor personally wrote for me. I don't need them right away! I just need to know when they'll be available next….." Ji-yoon considered this for a moment, all the while not taking her sharp stare off of mine. "My supervisor recommended that material to me too. I need those books as well." "I-I totally get that! I do! It's just… I put them on reserve at the library before I moved to Seoul. I really can't not read them… If I don't get this university's copy, I'm going to have to go to Busan." Ji-yoon shrugged. "It's not that far a train ride." My eyes started to grow in horror. Oh no…. "I-I know! Um, I don't need the books for very long. If you need them back, I can….."

Ji-yoon stopped me right in my tracks by raising up her hand. Her eyes sharpened onto mine- if that were even possible. I gulped as this sour frown rolled across her face. "I understand you're in a bit of a situation right now, but I'm not returning the books. I checked them out before you arrived, and I need them for my own research. I can have my supervisor sign a letter at the library reserving them for me this year." "B-But those are the library's only copies! Please, Ji-yoon; I don't know what I'll say to my supervisor!" To add insult to injury, she planted her hand on her hip with that smug girl attitude. For the first time since we met, I swear I caught the hint of a grin pop up in the corner of her mouth. "You'll think of something. Maybe your home university can help you; I'm sure they have plenty of resources." Ooooooh, that was mean; that was hitting below the belt. She knew I came here to study that specific literature because we don't have the original texts back in Scotland; that was the whole point in me coming here. I straightened up my back but couldn't formulate a good retaliation.

Realizing that arguing probably wasn't going to get me anywhere however, my brain went into desperation-mode. I gawked at Ji-yoon with pleading eyes; my hands clasped out in front of me. "Please, Ji-yoon. Just let me make copies of the chapters! I'll pay for it and everything! You can keep the original texts! All I need is copies; that'll work just….!" "No, I'm sorry. I don't have the books here with me and my schedule is very busy. You'll just have to borrow Busan's copies, if they too haven't already been reserved." My jaw dropped open and my eyes felt glossy. Ji-yoon watched me, like I was some freakshow, for another minute before lowering her head in that condescending way of hers. Only then did her face totally relax. "I'm sorry, Evans, but I'm not going to be able to help you." With that, she did a flip of the hair, spun back around, and walked away at the same pace she had before. She left me standing there, feeling like someone had just ribbed out my organs one-by-one.

No….. No, this can't be happening. What is my supervisor going to say? This is going to be seen as my fault! Everyone made it clear it was my responsibility to get hold of all the books on my reading list. That's why I put the books on reserve before I left Edinburgh! So I knew for certain that they would be available….. And now I'm short of some very important research material. My department won't care about any excuse I give them; all they're hear is "I don't have the books". Oh my god, this is a nightmare! My body literally began to tremble the more I thought about it. I winced my eyes shut in total agony. I'm going to have to ask Daddy for the money to buy a ticket to Busan…

"Elle?" My eyes immediately shot open at the sound of my name. I didn't have to look to know that Marco was approaching me from behind. Oh god, Marco! I totally forgot he was meeting me here! How much of that did he hear? No! No, no, no! This day just keeps getting worse! I just held myself as Marco came closer to me. When I didn't say anything, I think Marco felt prompted to speak again.

"Elle, are you ok?" "You didn't….. How much did you hear?" Might as well not beat around the bush. He did find me in a state like this, if we're being honest. I heard Marco's feet stop close by from behind. There was this tense moment of silence between us. "I heard enough." "Which means all of it, right?" "I didn't mean to, Elle." "You didn't mean too…..?" Wait, what am I saying? Of course he didn't mean to; I'm the one who forgot we were supposed to meet here. Realizing this only made me hug myself tighter. I just wanted to crawl into bed and forget this whole day ever happened.

Yet another pause slipped over us. I could hear Marco's body shuffle from here. "So what now?" He finally asked me. "Huh?" "What's your next move?" My next move…. "I…" But I couldn't finish my sentence; I was in position to be talking about it right now. At my failure to answer, I heard Marco take another step towards me. A third lull in the conversation fell between us, but only for a minute. A gust of wind blew up from the street, shuffling both our hair. Marco's lips parted, though I didn't see. "Looks like we're going to Busan."

The moment he said this, something snapped inside me. I think it was a build-up of a lot of things; that and the ample stress I was feeling right now. My hands balled into fists, which shook down at my sides. "Why….?" "Huh?" It was his turn to be confused. "Why are you being so nice to me?! You don't have to worry about it! It's my problem! I'm the one who screwed up!" "What are you talking about? You did everything you could, Elle." "I mean with you! I treated you horribly back in senior year! And we didn't talk to each other for seven years! Then all of a sudden you show up in Seoul and act so nice towards me? Why?! Why…. do you make it so easy to be around you? You don't have to be so kind to me all the time! Not after what I did to you….." My winced my eyes shut once again.

Marco took another step towards me, not replying right away. But when he was right behind me, he stopped. "Oh yeah? Isn't that up for me to decide? You're right; you did treat me like crap back in high school, but so what? You were a teenager; teenagers don't always make the best choices. I'm smart enough to see that, Elle." Marco…. I thought while still keeping my eyes shut. "But I do see who you are now, and I like what I see; I've always liked what I've seen when I look at you." What is he….? What's going on? Why does my heart feel like it's going to explode? Marco took a deep, deep breath in before continuing. "Look, I don't know why I'm doing this…..

But I can't just leave you alone like that!"

My eyes shot open. My hands stopped quivering. He can't…. He can't leave me alone like this? Why does that make my chest feel so insanely light? My posture visibly relaxed a little, which I'm sure Marco noticed. That's when the sadness of my encounter with Ji-yoon completely overwhelmed me. Tears started to dribble down my cheeks and onto the pavement. My head was turned downward so it made them easy to fall. My hands went from clenched fists back to hugging myself.

"Home…." "What?" "I-I wanna go home….." Marco's eyes lowered, his own body softening. "Ok, then. Let's….." "Do you want to come with me?" I interrupted him. He blinked at me surprised but was quiet so to let me continue talking. "Y-You don't have a place to stay yet. Do you…. want to stay with me? Me and Lee?" For the first time since Marco arrived, my feet spun around and my head tilted up so he could see me. Or rather, I could see him.

Marco's eyes were huge, but he didn't answer right away. "Elle, are you serious?" He finally took a step my way again. I nodded resolutely. "If you want to…. you can stay." And Marco's eyes softened onto me. With one more step, he was standing beside me. "Ok. I'll come stay then. I'll live with you and Lee…" "Good. So then please, I wanna go home.

Take me home, Marco."


	10. Strangers Among Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle bumps into someone she shouldn't have.

"Ok! So if we pool all our money together, that gives us um….. just over seven hundred thousand won for food per week!" Which amounts to roughly eighty dollars. "Eh, that's more than I thought," I shrugged my shoulders. Ever since Marco moved in, we'd began pooling our monetary resources together. Well, Lee and I were already doing that, but Marco brought a significant portion to the table. Since I- and my landlord- wasn't charging either of them rent, they agreed to pay for everything else, mostly. I still insisted on contributing to the food budget, which had grown considerably since Marco arrived. For someone who was living on twenty dollars a week before, this was like living rich for me.

Marco, Lee, and I were all sitting at the small kitchen table, pouring over finances. Initially I thought Lee would be hesitant to a third person moving in, but he took the news rather well. Since both bedrooms were already full, Marco volunteered to sleep on the couch. I got the comfiest blankets and pillows I could find for him. He seemed happy with his little setup in the living room, all things considered.

It was currently Friday morning; we'd all go grocery shopping tomorrow. Lee had the great idea to order pizza tonight, and since we had a bit more spending money, food-wise, Marco and I agreed. To be honest, we totally forgot that today was the day Noah's flight landed. Or at least we did until Lee's phone went off. After groaning dramatically, he explained the situation to Marco, who was shocked to hear that Noah was coming to Seoul. But Lee was quick to assure that his visit wouldn't interrupt with any of our plans. I frankly hadn't planned on seeing Noah at all while he was here. Relieved to hear this, Marco agreed to do pizza tomorrow night instead- what's the point in ordering pizza without Lee here to eat half of it? I'd make us something tonight instead.

Lee was going to meet Noah at the airport early this afternoon while Marco and I were at the university. He wouldn't be home until late apparently. We said goodbye to Lee and headed off to campus together. I really liked having someone to ride the train with every day; it made the journey go by much faster. As per usual, Marco walked me to my department building before going to his own. "I'll pick you up here at seven," he said. "Sounds good," I replied. He grinned and I smiled back at him. "Have a good day, Elle; don't work too hard." "Haha, same for you! Bye, Marco," we waved at one another until he was out of sight. With one last grin to myself, I made my way up to my office.

Typing that letter to my supervisor was….. painful. I couldn't say why I didn't have the books, only that I didn't read them as of yet and was still in the process of acquiring them. Marco and Lee both messaged me halfway through the email construction to inquire how it was going. I knew what that was code for: they were really checking up on me. But I found it sweet and texted back saying that it was coming along. Coming along indeed- ha! This was sheer agony. And I had yet to call Daddy about the ticket money either. Nugh, this wasn't an experience I would remember fondly when I got back to Edinburgh.

Eventually the long but not too-too long email was crafted, and I sent it on its merry way. Feeling completely drained after that, I decided to head over to the food court for something to eat. There was like two bucks in my pocket currently, enough for some noodles. Set on that, I made my way down to the bottom floor and out the doors.

While on my way through campus, I passed the gardeny part with lots of cement and wooden benches. I really liked this part of the university, so took my time going through it. This is where I came with Lee that one day…. Lee, my eyes lowered as I walked past some large oak trees. That's right, he's on his way to meet his brother now. It's so weird to think that Noah and I will be in the same city again. Not that we'll see each other or anything. It's just strange to think about… I mean, it's not like I want to see him again… do I? No, of course not! I've got better things to do with my time, like spend it with Lee and Marco. They aren't going to be here forever so I should enjoy them while I can.

It was around this time that I was coming up to a man on the path. He was older; maybe mid-to-late forties I'd say. Definitely not someone you'd see on campus a lot. He wore a tattered shirt, loose-fitting pants, and a stained black hat. His hair was long and straggly. I don't think he meant to come straight in my direction; more like he was aimlessly wandering about. Before I could get out of his way, he bumped into my shoulder, shoving me to the side a little. "Sorry," he muttered in Korean, then continued walking in that disorganized sort of way. I watched him, confused and a little frightened, for a minute until it was obvious he wasn't going to turn around.

I did flinch, however, when the PTA came on, echoing all throughout campus; it was all in Korean. "Attention everyone! This is an alert to say that the fifth science department building is in lockdown! I repeat, the fifth science department building is in lockdown! All students and staff outside, please go into your nearest entrance! The university thanks you for your cooperation!" "Huh? What….?" I spat out loud totally dumbstruck. Seconds later my phone went off inside my pocket. It was buzzing like mad when I pulled it out.

"Marco? Hi." "Hey, Elle. Did you just hear that announcement over the intercom?" "Yeah. Did you understand it?" "Barely, but I got the gist of it. Did you hear? Some man broke into one of the science labs." "Really?" My eyes widened. "Yeah. Apparently he snuck past security and caused some real damage in the labs. He managed to get away before they caught him; the police are looking for him now on campus." "Really?" I then looked in the direction the strange man went off into; he was nowhere to be seen now.

"Where are you?" "I'm uh, going to get some lunch in the cafeteria." "Ok, you need to get inside now. I'll keep listening for any updates, but I think it would be best if you stayed in the cafeteria for a little while. I'd come join you but they're not letting anyone leave my building." "That's alright. I'll go wait in the cafeteria until they say it's safe to leave." "Good. Call me before you go back to your building." Awe, Marco; I couldn't stop myself from smiling. He's worried about me. "Will do. You stay safe too, alright?" "Always." "And call me if you hear anything else." "Got it! Talk to you soon, Elle. Enjoy your lunch." "Thanks, Marco. Call you soon." Click! My vision rolled from my phone but up in the direction the man vanished in. Huh, I wonder if…..? But no, that'd be too much of a coincidence, wouldn't it? My hand gripped my phone a bit tighter. Then again, it's kind of unusual to see someone like him wandering around campus.

I wonder if it is the same guy?


	11. He Attacks At Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle runs into someone danger, only to be saved by the most unlikely entity.

And save. There! My writing's all done for the day. Now to search for some good ticket deals to Busan. I had just opened up my browser and was about it type in "cheap train tickets from Seoul to Busan" when my office door opened. One of the professors who worked on my floor stuck his head in.

"You're still here, Evans? It's almost seven o'clock," he asked me in Korean; the language I answered him in. My chair spun a bit in his direction so I could see him better. "Just finished up. I'm going soon; I'm waiting for someone to pick me up," a kind grin showed itself on my face. He nodded understanding. "Good, you shouldn't stay here too late. Everyone's already packed up and left." "I understand. By the way, did they ever find that guy? The one who broke into the labs earlier?" The professor shook his head. "No; they think he ran off a while ago, and the security cameras haven't been much help. But I wouldn't worry, Evans; I'm sure he's long gone now." "I'm sure you're right. I'll head out soon, then." "Ok, remember to lockup when you do; you're the last one on our floor." "Right, I will; thank you. Have a good night, Professor Chew." "You too, Evans." We gave each other one last smile before he shut the door. I turned back to my laptop and closed the screen. Well, it's almost seven anyway; I'm sure Marco's on his way. At that exact second, my phone began to buzz. I picked it up and smiled. Speak of the devil.

"Hey, Marco." "Hi, Elle. Just finishing up here in the studio. I'll be downstairs in about ten minutes or so." "That's prefect; it'll give me time to pack up here," it felt so good to hear the sound of his voice. So calming…. "Did you talk to Lee?" "Not yet. He's still with Noah, I think." "Ok. We'll just head home together then." Together…. "Sounds good," I grinned. "Wait inside your building for me. Did you hear? They haven't caught that creep sneaking around campus yet." "I heard he left, but I'm not entirely sure." "Regardless, I'd feel better if you waited inside. Your doors have automatic locks on them, right?" "Yes, but they don't come on until after seven." "Damn. Oh well, just stay inside. I'll be there as fast as I can." "Take your time; there's no rush. We have all night together." "What?" Oh crap! I didn't mean to say it like that! "I-I mean we're riding home together and all that. The trains won't be busy now, so we don't have to rush." Marco chuckled on the other end. "Good save. I'll be there roughly in ten minutes. Meet you down in your lobby." "I'll be there." "Ok then. See ya." "Bye, Marco." Click!

There was this great big goofy grin pencilled across my lips as I lowered my phone from my ear. This was the third time we'd called each other this afternoon. I'd called him once and him twice. I told myself it was just to check-in, seeing that part of the school went on lockdown earlier. But if I'm being totally honest, hearing his voice made me feel so good inside. These little tingly bubbles started in my toes and floated up all throughout me. It felt so good! I don't know why Marco was so eager to call me; what he got out of it, I'm not sure. But he must have got something out of it, since he wanted to check on me twice today. The very idea made me smile. He's protective of me…. I hadn't felt this way since Noah…. My hand rose up to my pounding chest. I'd forgotten how good it can feel…..

Feeling extra bubbly, I leapt up from my chair and began packing up my backpack. It was painfully obvious that I was the only one felt on my floor; everything was dark outside. My floor's kind of different. There's this hallway that leads from the elevators to this open space area. Surrounding this common room are offices, each with their door facing inward. The only way out of the common space was through that single hallway, which lead back both to the elevators and emergency stair exit. I should have taken the fact that my light was the only one on more seriously.

You know in horror movies how the victims are never aware of the danger they're truly in until it's too late? Little did I know that was my situation at the moment. My curtain was drawn back and my light was fully on; you could everything happening in my office, which was a blessing and a curse. Mostly a curse in this scenario. I was merrily working away, blissfully unaware what was about to happen. It all started at the sudden and unexpected bang in the hall outside our common room. Admittedly I flinched, straightening up and immediately looking to my unlocked office door. We weren't supposed to lock our doors if we were inside. Still, my nerves did heighten a little.

Nothing happened right after the bump. My mind started to rationalize it, thinking of plausible explanations. I bet it was just a door on another floor slamming shut or something; they were pretty heavy doors in this building. Realizing that, I calmed down- a bit. I was more in a hurry to get downstairs now. Hopefully the porter was still at the main desk and not doing his rounds. I shoved everything into my backpack, including my phone, and zipped it close. I was right about to put it on when footsteps could be heard echoing down my hall and into the common room. My heart froze but I tried to keep my nerves in check. It's most likely the porter doing his rounds; either that, or another department member coming up for something. I did my best not to panic, but alarm bells were going off in my head when the lights didn't come on. The porter would have turned on the floor light…..

A drip of sweat formed on the back of my neck. I stood there, motionless. In reality doing that was totally pointless. My light was the only one on, and there were two narrow, long windows alongside my office door. Someone could see in from the common room too; I was wholly visible, only made clearer by the total black outside my office. I froze there like a statue, unable to see who it was outside. Words cannot accurately describe how fast or far my stomach fell out of me when my doorknob began jiggling.

Oh my god….. All the blood in my body froze. I'd heard about stuff like this happening on campuses all around the world, but I never dreamed it would happen to me. It didn't seem real. Here I was, in this confined space like a sitting duck. It was the perfect setup. The only downside for the intruder was the fact that the other window- the one facing outside- was really big and open for the external world to see. Someone would see if I got attacked in here. Shockingly, that didn't make me feel better. Those three seconds it took for my doorknob to turn were some of the longest seconds in my life.

I'm sure it's no surprise that my door opened to reveal the guy everyone was talking about; the whole reason the science labs went into lockdown. I was both stunned and not shocked at all to discover that it was the same older man from campus park earlier. Man, did he look out of it. He didn't look straight at me instantly; his eyes more just wandered about. They took a moment to finally reach me, but they did. His stare was glossy and disingenuous.

"You…. You the last one in here?" The scary man asked me in slurred Korean. I didn't do anything; I was too petrified to move or make a sound. He glanced around my office, then back at me. "You got any food?" I said nothing. "Or something to drink?" His foot slid in closer to me. Not knowing what else to do, my foot slid backwards. This guy looked scraggly but I was willing to bet he was strong enough to throw me across the room like a ragdoll. My hand let go of my backpack without my being aware. The terrifying guy took another menacing step in my direction.

"Hey! Don't hold out on me! What'd you got?" Again, my foot slid backwards; my eyes not leaving this man. I think my lack of response angered him considering his expression morphed into one of annoyance. "You frigid bitch. Come 'er; come 'er you!" His hand stretched out for me and my body kicked into survival mode. Leaving everything behind in my office, I made a mad sprint for the door, knocking him to one side as I raced by. It didn't occur to me- and likely not him- that he'd rob my bag. Instead, my heart kept racing faster and faster as he ran behind me. Boy, for a drunk man he was fast!

I reached the elevator, pressing the button several times. But when he appeared into the hallway, I booked it for the staircase. I almost fell flat on my face but somehow managed to get to the bottom floor without tripping. The body does strange things when it's in danger. And danger, I was in. I thought- incorrectly it turns out- that the steep concrete staircase would slow him down thanks to his lowered inhibitions. But I was dead wrong. He was actually faster than me; I think his intoxication actually helped him to moved faster for lack of fear of falling. I threw open the bottom door and clambered out with seconds to spare. "Get back here!" The scary man was right on my tail.

I had made it maybe five steps into the lobby before he grabbed hold of the back my shirt. "Where do you think you're going?" "No! Let go! Let go!" I screamed in Korean, though I'm not sure he could understand me with how loud I was shrieking. "Don't run away! Don't ignore me! Why are you ignoring me?" With his other hand, he grabbed hold of my right wrist. He was squeezing it so tight, I'm sure there would be bruise marks. My teary eyes winced in pain. This was the most awful thing that has ever happened to me.

"No! Let me go! Let go!" I continued to yell, trying my best to fight against him. However my initial assumption proved correct as he barely struggled to keep hold of me. I felt his fingernails dig into my skin. "How dare you ignore me, you stupid girl?! All I asked for was some help! Is that too much to ask? Is it?!" "No! Let go? Let go of me! You're hurting me! Somebody please help! Help me!" My mouth unconsciously switched to English on its own accord. I'm sure he no longer understood what I was saying, but I didn't care. All I wanted in that moment was to be away from him. I'll never forget the way his hand felt against my skin, how loud his voice was, even the horrid way he smelled. It was all burning into my memory, and there it would stay.

I continued to scream, thrashing like a madman. My arm was being tugged so hard, I feared it might dislocate from my shoulder. The man was losing his temper with me. "Shut up! Shut up, I say! Stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about!" "Help! Help me, please! Somebody! Please help!" "Shut up before I….!"

"Let her go!"

Both our eyes widened at the new third voice. It was in English, and a deep, irate male voice. Our heads turned just in time to see a figure stomp on over. "Who is…..?" The man started to ask in Korean. I literally screamed when he suddenly got clocked right in the face. My attacker stumbled backwards a few steps, groaning loudly. He wasn't looking at me anymore, but he was still holding onto my arm. "Get your filthy hands off of her!" The drunk man received another swift, hard blow to the cheek. This time he released my wrist as he fell backwards; he landed square on his back on the floor. Meanwhile I also stumbled back a few steps, being released from such a vice grip. I bumped into the wall beside me and opened my eyes. I looked forward to get a good look at my savour for the first time. And when I did, my whole body exploded in the most profound form of shock imaginable.

"Noah?!"


	12. Love At First Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah saves Elle, but it isn't a happy reunion.

I stood there, mouth agape. I…. I couldn't believe my eyes! For the first time in almost seven years….. Noah! Why was he here?! How did he find me?! Where was Lee?! So, so many questions swirled around in my head. This was not the reunion I had envisioned for us. Hell, this didn't even make the top one hundred list. While I was dumbstruck completely of out my mind, Noah had more presence in his. He gave the now unconscious drunk man the most hateful of glares. "Jesus Christ. Of all things to happen…" He began but stopped himself. I flinched as he reached down to take my left hand. "Come on, let's get outta here," before I knew what was happening, I was being dragged towards the main doors. They opened and Noah practically forced me to come outside with him. Once out of my building, he sat me down on a nearby stone bench where we would wait for security to arrive. I sat there, still not entirely sure what was going on; the whole thing seemed like a blur to me now. Noah stood with his arms crossed and watched the exit to make sure the man couldn't escape. To my surprise, it was me who spoke first.

"N-Noah? W-Why are you….? You're here….. You're really….." My mouth spattered, unable to come up with a complete sentence. Noah sent me a look, which definitely caught me off guard. Boy, did he look mad.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" "W-What?!" I blinked up at him in disbelief. "What were you doing in there alone?! Did you want to get attacked?! Seriously, what would have happened if I hadn't arrived when I did? You should have left with everyone else; not stayed behind on your own like that!" Wait… Is he…. yelling at me? After I got attacked like that? He's going to blow up at me? He thinks this is an appropriate time for that?! "Excuse me?" I spat back with a bit of attitude. He planted his broad hands on his hips in an angry fashion.

"Why didn't you come to the airport with Lee earlier? This whole thing could have been avoided if you didn't insist on staying here so late!" "W-Wha-….. What the hell are you talking about?! I never said I was going to the airport with Lee! I didn't expect to see you this whole trip!" "And look where your keenness to avoid me has gotten you?! Even if I didn't come, you still shouldn't be in downtown Seoul this late alone! It's dangerous, Elle! Even grown men don't wander around downtown late at night by themselves!" "Uh, this is a university campus, in case you haven't noticed! And it's not late out! It's barely seven o'clock!" I retorted, raising my own voice. A lecture is not what I needed right now. Too bad Noah didn't think so. "It's still dark enough outside! You don't even have your phone on you, for Christ's sake!" I don't? Oh right! I put it in my backpack which was still upstairs in my office. Oops.

Noah let out a sigh, turning his head to the side for a little shake. I was about to demand what he was even doing here in the first place when he shot back his eyes at me. "You're a grown woman now, Elle. Act like one!" Ok, that made me mad. "How dare you?! I am a grown woman, which means I can make these decisions for myself! I don't need a babysitter anymore, Noah! I can take care of myself!" "Then explain tonight to me! What would you have done if no one showed up? You have to take better care of yourself! Jesus, Elle!" "I don't need you telling me that! Lots of people of all ages are victims of attack; my age has nothing to do with this! And you wanna know something else? It's the least charming thing in the world for you to show up out of the blue and yell at me like this!" "Well of course I'm going to yell at you, Elle!

I was more scared tonight than I've been in seven years!"

This made me stop with my eyes growing progressively bigger. Sensing my retreat, Noah sighed heavily again and rubbed the side of his neck. "Frikin A, what a way to start a vacation." Then Noah proceeded to remove his jacket. My mouth opened in surprised when he put it over my shoulders. I hadn't noticed how chilly it has gotten out. I was about to say something, but several Korean voices interrupted me. "Over here! This way!" One guard shouted in Korean. He, along with three more policemen and security guards appeared from around the corner and spotted the two of us. They didn't hesitate to run over to where I was sitting.

"Are you alright, miss?!" The one guard asked in broken English. "Yes, I'm fine," I answered in Korean. Noah looked at me but spoke to the guard after he ordered his men to go inside the building. "What are you going to do with him?" Noah asked the man in English. "What happened?" He ignored Noah's question, speaking in English again. "That man attacked and tried to assault this woman. Now what are you going to do with him?" Noah raised his voice a little, startling the guard. "Don't worry, sir. The police are taking him into custody." "Will he be able to get out on bail?" Noah prodded. "No, sir. He has lots of outstanding warrants; he won't be free anytime soon." "Good. I don't care what you do with him, so long as he never confronts Elle again. I don't want him to even look at her." Noah, my gigantic, surprised eyes rolled up to his still-enraged face. The guard tried to reassure him. "Don't worry, sir. The lady is safe now. He won't bother her again." "He better not." The guard nodded then turned to me.

"Did he hurt you, Miss?" Realizing I could speak moderately in Korean, we reverted back to that for our conversation. "Just my arm a little, but it should be better in a couple of days." "That's good. We're going to need a statement from you. Do you want to fill it out tonight or tomorrow at the station?" "Tonight, if I can," I just wanted to put this whole thing behind me. He nodded, his eyes glancing back to Noah for a second. "Is this man a relative or guardian?" My whole face lit up embarrassed, but I rapidly shook my head. "No! No- not at all!" "Do you know him?" "Uh, yes. He's um…. a childhood friend," I responded not confidently. The guard nodded again. "Do you have a relation or guardian in the city? Someone we can contact?" "Well, I live with two friends; one of which is on the way." "Ok, we won't be able to let you go until he arrives. I'm sorry; it's policy." "I know; it's fine," this place was old-fashioned that way. He turned to go back to the other cops, who were currently dragging the half-conscious man outside. He was moaning and barely had his eyes opened. Noah and I watched him be carried off to the police car parked nearby. Noah sighed yet again and spun his head my way. I peered up at him and he stared down at me. My lips parted a sliver. "Noah, what are you doing here?" "Elle, I…" "Elle!"

Noah was cut off by a familiar voice dashing over towards me. I looked to see Marco arrive; he was panting like he'd been running. As if to completely not notice Noah's presence, he raced over to my side. "Elle, are you ok?! What happened?!" "Marco…." My eyes lowered onto him. "I just heard that they caught the guy in your building! Did you see him?! What….?" Only then did Marco spot Noah standing there. The two men's eyes locked, Marco standing very near me now. Both men looked just as confused and incensed to see the other there. "Flynn?"

"Marco Pena?"


	13. Warring Nations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco comes to find Elle, but he meets someone with her too.

"Flynn?! Wha-…. What are you doing here?!" "I could ask you same question! What are you doing in Korea?! Last I heard, you were going to UCL for undergrad." "I did, and now I'm here on an exchange, just like Elle." "You what….?" Noah's eyes grew. But Marco was no longer looking at him; his eyes were scanning me over for injury.

"Are you hurt, Elle? Did the police get here in time?" It's like Marco totally forgot Noah was standing right there. I gazed up at him, nodding my head mildly. That's when he saw my bruised arm behind Noah's jacket. His eyes grew in horror as he reached down to take my hand. "Your arm! Did that bastard touch you, Elle?!" "What?! Here, let me see," Noah immediately wanted to come in for a look. I quickly yanked my hand back from Marco, hiding it in the shadow of Noah's coat again. "It's fine," my voice annoyedly hissed in Noah's direction. I still had no clue why he was here or how he found me. The whole thing was sort of creepy when I thought about it. But then, I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't shown up…..

It's around now that the guard and another cop walked over to us. Marco's arrival was visibly noted between them. "Miss, this is Officer Yin. He's going to give you the forms you need to fill out," the guard told me in Korean. My head gave a single nod in understanding. "Thank you….." "What's going on? What did you do with that man?" Macro demanded, though not in the same harsh tone as Noah before. "He's in custody, sir. He won't be released out on bail." "And are you going to charge him with assault and battery? He bruised Miss Evans's arm. We can take photos if you'll need evidence in court," while saying all this, Marco came over to drape both his hands over my shoulders protectively. Noah saw this and definitely wasn't amused. I don't think it registered to Marco either yet that I was wearing Noah's jacket.

The guard nodded again. "Don't worry, sir. He's going to be charged for tonight. Once we have Miss Evans's statement, we can begin the legal proceedings." "Statement? You mean you're going to make her fill out paperwork tonight? After what she's went through?" Marco did not sound happy. The officers looked a little stunned; I guess this was all standard fair for them. They merely blinked at Marco for a second. "Uh, well it's protocol for victims to um…. We offered to let her do it at the station tomorrow." "I don't think so. She's going to need a few days to recover from this. She'll give you a statement when she's mentally up for it. Got it?" Ooooooh, Marco. I haven't had sex in seven years, but even my virgin ass knows that that was hot.

For a moment, the guard and cop didn't respond. They looked at one another then back at the three of us- or more specifically, Marco. "Are you her guardian?" The guard asked. "Pardon?" Marco seemed taken aback by this question, but he didn't remove his hands from my shoulders. "They won't let me leave without a guardian or relative with me," I explained to him. "Ah, I see…" He considered it for half a minute before thoughtfully nodding his head. "Yes, I'm Elle Evans's guardian." Marco! My eyes grew very large while staring up at him.

This struck a nerve with Noah. "What are you talking about? No, you're not. Elle's too old to have a guardian." "It means something different here, Flynn," Marco spat back under his breath. Noah snorted. "Yeah right. If anyone's her guardian, it should be Lee." "You wanna talk about Lee? Alright, yeah, sure. Where is Lee, Flynn? He was supposed to spend tonight with you." "He was. We ate dinner together and then I wanted to pack it in for the night. He went back to Elle's place over an hour ago." "Oh, ok; I see. So by "pack it in", you mean come down to Elle's university- is that it?" This made Noah angry; I could tell by the way he clenched his fist. Some things never change, I guess.

"I didn't think she'd be here. I came to see the campus," Noah growled in a low voice. "A campus you're not going to school to. Yeah, makes sense," Macro shot back. The two men continued glaring daggers at each other. Meanwhile the officers and I kept shifting our eyes in between them confused. Why was Noah so mad? I didn't get it. He had no right to be jealous of me anymore. Hell, I doubt he still liked me, never mind loved me. The way he was acting made no sense to me, and judging by the way Marco reacted to him, he felt the same way.

The guard peered back at Marco with a puzzled expression. He scratched the side of his head in a confused fashion. "You are… her guardian, right?" "Yes, I'm her guardian. We live together." "You what?!" Noah's face lit up, and not in a good way. "Alright then. You'll see Miss Evans gets home ok?" "Yes, sir," Marco nodded with finality. "Good. I'll go inform the others what's going on. You're free to go, Miss Evans," the guard waved at me while he took off. "Please come by the station as soon as you can," the other cop told me before going to join the guard. The three of us waited until we were alone to say anything. And of course, being the macho boys that they were, they had to glare at each other as soon as the coast was clear.

"You two are living together?" "Got a problem with that, Flynn? No, wait. You have no reason to have a problem with anything. You're the loser who dumped Elle back in undergrad. You've forgone the right to give a damn, don't you think?" Noah looked like he was about to knock Marco's block off. But instead of punching, he smirked bitterly at Marco. "Yeah, I did break up with her- right after she rejected you for me." "Noah, stop it!" I had to intervene, though it did no good. They acted as if I wasn't there any longer, continuing to murder each other with their stares. It was Marco's turn to hit back with a nasty smirk of his own. "Yeah, looks like we all made dumb decisions as teenagers. That's obvious," he was insinuating Noah's choice to break up with me. Despite me leaning more towards Marco's side, I knew that was a hit below the belt. And Noah felt it. His fist clenched even tighter, if that were possible.

"Why don't you get lost, Pena? I wanna talk to Elle for a moment." "Yeah? Well, she doesn't want to talk to you. She's made that very clear to Lee and me," Marco countered. My eyes wandered around a bit. Well, I don't know if I've made it that clear….. But I doubt they'd pay attention to me if I corrected either of them anyway now. Noah let out a low growl. "I said beat it. I'm the one who got here in time to save Elle from that bastard. If you care so much about her, where were you then?" "Evidently not stalking her on her own campus. Elle knew I was coming; not that that's any of your business." "I wasn't stalking her! For the last time, I thought she'd already left! I didn't know she'd be here when I got here," Noah defended himself with vigour. Marco didn't look convinced. "Isn't that convenient for you?" "Listen, you…..!"

Both Noah and Marco were cut off by the police sirens. The cars began to drive by, one in front of the other. In the last car was my attacker. As the vehicle passed the man looked out the window at me- it was clear that he was staring right at me. The blood in my veins froze again and my limbs began to tremble. The way he looked at me just now….. His face was just so full of hatred and distain. I couldn't be certain, but I got the distinct impression that he wanted to harm me. His stare was that cold and vicious. I was afraid; in that moment, I was terrified. And it was plain for all to see. The men blinked down at me, only to see me trembling. My eyes were wide and full of fear. My bottom lip opened up a tad, though no sound came out of my mouth. "Elle?" "Elle?!" Both men rushed to me. My hand reached up to grab hold of Marco's. I took his hand and looked at him. He got to see my frightened and exhausted expression head on. On my end, I saw Marco and…..

I don't know what to make of my pounding heart when I look at Marco, but one thing's for sure. I look at him and I feel safer… I feel safe when he's nearby; there's no doubt in my mind whatsoever. I should know…. It's how I used to feel when I looked at Noah once upon a time.

My lips parted yet again, with tears streaming down my cheeks for a second time that night. My lower lip couldn't stop trembling. It was too much….. This was too much for one night. I wanted things to be better; I wanted them to… "Take me home, Marco," was all I said. Marco stared down at me for minute. Then his hand shifted from my shoulder to the back of my head. He held it so tenderly and soft….. "Yes."

As I was wiping my eyes, one of the security guards walked over to us; this all occurred before Noah had the chance to say anything. He carried over my backpack and coat in his arms, handing them to Noah. "Miss Evans's effects," he said. "Thank you," Noah replied. The man left and Noah's head spun back around to face us. Marco frowned at him and removed his jacket from my shoulders. Oh boy, did Noah not like that. But he didn't protest this time. Marco merely handed him his coat and took my stuff from his arms. The two men shot each other one final glare for the night. Noah frowned sincerely. "She better get home alright." "Are you kidding? She's with me…..

Unlike some of us, I'm not so quick to leave her side."


	14. Gratitude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Lee comfort Elle at home.

"Alright. I'm going to find this bastard and beat him to a frikin' pulp!" Lee smashed his fist into his palm. Marco and I were sitting on the couch; there was a mug in my lap with tea Marco made for me. I slunk down into the cushions and Marco frowned at Lee. "It's great you're concerned for Elle, but we've done all we can, Lee. We're foreigners, remember? We have limited legal power here. That being said, I'm going to see this through court. That creep isn't going to get away with this." "He better not! I still say we should beat his ass." Only then did Marco crack half a grin. "As much as we'd all love that, that's not a viable option now. At least he's behind bars." "Yeah, where he's safe from me," Lee kept grinding his fist in his hand.

Marco sighed and leaned back against the couch. "Man, I still can't believe Flynn was there." "Yeah. Tell me again why my brother was at your campus. I mean, I told him where Elle went to school, but why would he go there on his own like that?" Lee inquired. "Who knows? I guess we should be grateful, considering he did rescue Elle and everything." "I guess…. It's still kinda creepy though. Your ex just showing up at your school like that." "It's totally creepy. But I doubt we'll see him again. I made it clear to him that Elle isn't interested in visiting." "That's good. The last thing she needs is him poking and nosing around like that." "Yeah," Marco agreed.

All the while, I remained silent. It's not that I didn't have any input to add to the conversation; my mind was just in a weird, fuzzy place currently. Almost being assaulted and running into Noah like that… Of course I was going to be a little messed up. My eyes lowered a bit softly. When I think about it, I used to dream of how Noah and I would meet again. It was always somewhere cute and spontaneous….. and usually in Europe; somewhere like Paris or Vienna.

Instead, we reunited in the last place I thought we would. But then again, all those dreams I used to have of Noah slowly died over the years. I guess by the fourth year of our separation, I began to realize that it was truly over between us. The last nail in the coffin was when I moved to Amsterdam. That truly seemed like the end of it. Noah would stay back in America and I would move to Europe permanently. It seemed so natural that we'd move on with our lives in separate directions. And I'm not sure exactly when I felt out of love with Noah, but at some point I did. He broke up with me, after all. What was the point in me still carrying a torch?

Thinking about all this only made my head hurt more. It was so easy before tonight. Well, I suppose it wasn't that easy, but easier per se. Still….. I really didn't need this in my life right now. I used to love Noah….. I loved him so much, I could cry. But now…. I can't; I can't remember. It only hurts when I do. Besides, I don't want to love Noah again; I don't want to date anyone anytime soon- maybe even ever. I've been down that road before; I know where it ends. There's only so many times you can fall of the edge of the earth like that…..

Lee and Marco flinched as I abruptly stood up off the couch. They both blinked to me in surprise. "Elle?" Lee asked worriedly. "Sorry, guys. I gotta go to bed; I'm so tired….." "Oh, sure, Elle. Course." "That's totally understandable. You've had quite a day." I grinned at them, feeling secure with them here. "Night, you guys." "Good night, Elle," Marco replied. "Sleep well," Lee tacked on. I walked up the stairs and went into my room without looking back. Once inside I stripped down to my underwear and crawled under the covers. My hands clung to my pillow as I had the sheets drawn over my head.

God, I'm stupid. I can't believe how stupid I am. Even though I didn't put myself in that position tonight on purpose, I still feel like a loser with Noah having to save me like that. I can't believe the first thing he did for me after seven years was push some drunk off of me. Talk about pathetic…. My eyes lowered and I snuzzled my head into the pillow's softness. But he did save me; he punched that guy without hesitation. Why would he do that? Was he just being a decent human being? That must be it- any man would have done the same. Hell, I probably would have done the same if I saw a girl being attacked in my building. I shouldn't look at it so hard. Noah probably didn't even know where he was tonight anyway….. I'm sure it was all a coincidence. What else could it be?

That's when my phone buzzed beside my bed. Perking up a little, I reached over to grab it. My eyes lit up when I saw Marco's name on the screen. He'd sent me a text from downstairs. It read: Hi Elle. Just checking to see how you're doing. You alright up there? My heart felt so good in that moment. This is one of those rare times you feel like you're in a movie, you're so happy. Yes, I still was out of sorts, but getting that message was just the medicine I needed right now. I typed back: I'm ok, just going to sleep. Thanks for checking in on me. The word bubbles appeared right away on his end. His next message read: Your welcome. Try and have a good sleep tonight. I'm always downstairs if you need anything.

God, I couldn't stop smiling now; a warm, profound smile. He's such a good guy, Marco…. I replied: Thanks, Marco. I'm so glad you're here. His last response was: So am I, Elle.

I really am.


	15. Fragments Of Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah and Elle have a talk.

"You bitch! You stupid whore! Stop ignoring my calls! You can't avoid me forever!" It's then that I deleted the voicemail. I have no clue how this creep keeps getting new phone numbers; this is the fifth time I've had to block him. Seriously? When is he going to get the message? I closed my voicemail and I stared at my home screen for a moment. Maybe I should tell Lee and Marco? But then, what could they do? What could I do? I've never met the guy and don't even know his name. There's no point in worrying them over this; best to keep ignoring it. With that, I set my phone down and turned back to my computer screen.

It had been a particularly quiet couple of office hours. I'd taken the last week off, which the university didn't hesitate to give me after they heard what happened. Lee spent the whole week with me, and Marco joined us whenever he could; he tried so hard to be with us as much as possible. During that week, we'd developed a sort of routine at home. Lee did the cleaning, I did the laundry, and Marco was in charge of meals. He made us all breakfast and dinner each day, making sure to leave us bento lunch boxes for midday. Let me tell you, there's this intrinsic joy opening up the fridge to find a pink lunch box waiting inside for you. Today was no exception; only Marco and I came to campus together and ate lunch in the park. He went back to his department and I was in my office, working away.

Well, I should have been working. I sat at my desk, reading one of Marco's published articles I accessed on the University of Edinburgh's library's website. It had nothing to do with my own research, but I wanted to read it, nonetheless. I was almost done the second last page when there was a knock at my door. Man, talk about being triggered. I jumped a little in my seat but had to immediately calm myself. Calm down, Elle; it's the middle of the afternoon, and it's probably just a student. It's not that man…. It's not him; you're safe now. Forcing a grin just in case it was a student, I spun my chair so to see the door. "Come in."

You can't imagine how wide my eyes grew as the door opened to reveal not a student, but Noah instead. My grin faded as my jaw dropped startled. "N-Noah?" He stepped into my office, shutting the door behind him. Once inside, he shoved his hands into his pockets and stared down at me. "So you finally came in today." "W-What are you doing here?" My hand rose up to my chest still confused beyond words to what was going on. Why was here? On my first day back too. This was the last thing I expected to happen, but maybe that's on me.

Noah continued to look at me, visibly relaxing his shoulders. "How else was I going to see how you were doing? You still have my number blocked, and Lee's not answering his phone." "N-No, I mean what are you doing in my office? How'd you find me up here?" My head shook. "Your office hours and room number are your department website. How do you think your students find you?" I frowned. Course he couldn't be charming or pleasant in any way now. It's not like the last time we saw each other, I was traumatized after an attack or anything. My head spun back forward to my desk, which I placed my hand up on.

"What do you want, Noah?" "Well, since there was no other way for me to get a hold of you, I had to come here in person to see if you're ok. Can you blame me for being worried about you after all that, Elle?" My glare shot back at him. "Really? You're here because you were concerned for me?" He could immediately tell by the tone of my voice that I didn't believe him. He mirrored my sour expression but didn't back down, which surprised me a little. The edges of his face simply softened slightly. "Yes, Elle. I was." Noah, my eyes grew.

When I didn't say anything in return, Noah relaxed his posture even more, rubbed the back of his neck, and glanced around my office for the first time. "This is a nice place. Much more roomy than the office spaces back home." "They didn't make me share it with anyone this semester," I explained. Noah nodded in comprehension; I couldn't help but notice his eyes wander back over to me again. "So, uh…. Are you really ok, then?" "Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine." "It's ok to be a little shaken up after a traumatic event like that," he reassured me. It was my head's turn to nod this time. "I know. I guess I'm still a little nervous, but….." My mouth cut my words off without my brain's permission. My eyes widened as I realized what I was about to say. Noah had no clue, however. "But?" He prompted me to continue. I didn't respond right away; instead I stared off into space momentarily. Holy crap! I was about to say that I knew everything'd be alright since Marco's on the same campus….. It was so organic and unconscious too. That was weird, but luckily I caught myself just in time. Barely. My lips waggled as I scrambled to think of something to say. "Uh, the jerk's in custody, so I know I'm safe now," I lied, forcing a grin for Noah's sake. He didn't seem to buy it, but he did the first polite thing and let it drop- thank god.

Noah sighed and lowered his eyes onto me. "So…." "What?" I blinked up at him puzzled. "Your office hours are almost over, right? Let's do something." "Excuse me?!" This certainly caught me off guard. What was he talking about? Why'd he want to do anything with his ex? I don't get it….. But Noah remained adamant. "Let's do something. You're done your work for the day, aren't you? Let's go somewhere and talk." Talk? Why would he want to talk to me? And more importantly, why would I want to talk to him? My lips parted but it took a second for anything to come out.

"I don't think so, Noah." "Huh?" His frown returned. It was my turn to stay firm now. "What's there for us to talk about? You shouldn't be wasting time with me. You should go out and experience what Seoul has to offer." "What?" Noah sounded upset all of a sudden. "I'm serious. I live here; you're on vacation. There's so much in Seoul for you to see. You better enjoy it while it lasts." I said this, and now Noah looked downright annoyed. I noticed his eyes sharpen onto me intently.

"Listen, Elle. I'm perfectly capable of making those decisions for myself; that should sound familiar. I know what I want to do and how to spend my time, and what I want to do right now is talk to you. Can't you at least give me that after what I did for you?" I shot him a glare but didn't instantly shoot him down. I didn't like him holding that over my head, but deep down knew he was right. He did beat my attacker to a pulp; it would be rude for me to go on ignoring him like that if he wanted to simply talk. Besides, all he wants to do is talk. It's one outing for one afternoon- that's it. Then Marco will pick me up and life will go back to normal. I can do this. I looked at Noah and reluctantly nodded my head up and down.

We walked off campus together. He was scanning around for a place for us to go; admittedly I was less enthusiastic to participate. It felt super weird strolling around with my ex-boyfriend, someone I used to love so much, so casually like this. It wasn't normal, was it? It sure didn't feel normal. Neither of us said anything until Noah stopped on the sidewalk. I gazed up at him and he pointed to somewhere. "How about that place?" My heart sank when I realized he was pointing to the café I frequented. The first place I went with Lee and….. "Not there!" I think Noah was taken aback by the forcefulness in my voice. Blinking, I suddenly understood what I'd just done and went completely into damage mode. "I uh…. How about ice cream? I know this really great little spot."

And so we went for ice cream. Noah got a scoop of vanilla while I got chocolate. Since there was nowhere to sit inside the place, we had to wander around with our cones in our hands. I'll admit, it was easier the more time we spent together. Not easier in the "I'm happy" sort of way, but more chill I guess you could say. I didn't feel so flustered or dumbstruck anymore. We just walked, licking our ice cream in a casual manner. Eventually Noah peered over at me through the corner of his eye.

"So, seven years….." "Please don't start, Noah." "Start what?" "I don't wanna talk about what happened between us. We're different people now; it's all in the past." Noah watched me for another second, then smirked. "Still as impatient as ever." "Excuse me?!" I fired off a glare in his direction. "I was going to say that you glowed up pretty damn nicely over the past seven years. You're more beautiful now than I think I'd ever seen you before." "Please don't. You're not the romantic, sappy type, and we both know it," I sighed, shutting my eyes. "I wasn't being romantic; I was stating a fact." Stating a fact- ha! For a previous womanizer like Noah, he knows perfectly well what he's doing, and I'm not buying it.

I took a lick of my ice cream, not really sure what to talk about. I elected to go with the obvious. "So, what are you doing now?" "Well, presently I'm having ice cream with you," he flashed me a side smirk. "I meant with your life," I clarified with an eyeroll. "I know; I know. I live in New York at the moment. I don't know how much Lee has told you, but I've applied for med school." "Right, you always wanted to be a doctor," my tongue licked the frosty goodness again. "We'll see where I get in. Other than that, not too much. Haven't done much traveling in the past seven years; not like you, anyway." "Yeah, I think I'm an anomaly that way." Noah glanced at me once again from the corner of his eye.

"You really thinking about moving to Europe full time?" "Who told you that?" "I'm not deaf, Elle. Lee, my parents, and your father all talk." My gazed lowered. "Right. Yes, that's the plan; the UK in specific. Once I'm done my PhD, I'm going to try and find a job over there." "Any particular reason you chose the UK?" "Because it's where I'm in school now?" I shrugged. Noah's head nodded slowly, and he looked forward. "Huh. Seems like Berkeley wasn't a bad choice, after all."

"There it is!" I yelled at him. He blinked to me surprised. "What?!" "What part of "I don't want to talk about it" don't you understand? Yes, I chose Berkeley! It been seven years, Noah; I'd think you'd be over it by now. I am!" "What the hell are you talking about?! I wasn't being sarcastic, Elle! Why would you think I was?" Noah was also raising his voice at me. My hand threw up in the air all upset. "Then why would bring up Berkeley at all?! I thought you'd be more mature than that after completing a masters degree at Harvard." "You don't know what you're talking about, Elle. As usual, you never let me explain myself," Noah growled.

"Oh, no; don't you dare pin this on me. See? This is why we broke up! We bring out the worst in each other. All the jealously, mistrust, lack of communication…. If you really loved me, you would have supported my decision; not got all upset and kick me to the curb." "Would you shut up and let me speak?!" Noah countered back. My head merely shook in finality. "Why? What could you possibly say to me now that would make everything better? After four miserable years of me missing you like crazy, nothing will fix it. I've moved on, Noah! Don't you see that?! That's why I didn't want to see you this trip. You're not important to me now; you're not special to me in any way anymore."

Noah waited a minute before saying anything. I huffed a few times; I think he was waiting for me to catch my breath. When he saw that I was ready, he looked straight at me. "You done?" "Yes…" I exhaled again, spinning my head forward. Noah's eyes narrowed seriously. "Good, then it's my turn. First of all, I wasn't being sarcastic when I said Berkeley wasn't a bad choice. Second, we don't bring out the worst in each other. We dated back when we were kids- stupid teenagers who didn't know what the hell we were doing. If I did, I wouldn't have broken up with you." "Noah…." My cheeks blushed a little. Noah rose up his hand in a silencing motion. "No, let me finish. Third, we don't know who each other is anymore; seven years is a long time. That's why I wanted to talk to you so badly. You're a totally different person than the Elle I knew back in Los Angeles." My eyes grew wide. Is that a good or a bad thing? Marco didn't seem to think I was so different….. "So next time, instead of jumping all over what I have to say before I say it, let me finish, Elle. How else are we going to get to know one another again?" Noah… Damn it; I hate to agree that he's right. But I wasn't happy about it.

Noah let out a long sigh and peered straight on; I did the same. It suddenly felt all awkward again, and not in a good way. We didn't utter a sound until Noah chuckled to himself. Surprised, my head shot over in Noah's direction again. "But speaking about that topic you're so keen to avoid, I both regret and don't regret breaking up with you, Elle." "Oh?" My eyebrow raised as I reminded myself to hear him out first. He nodded. "I have the feeling that we stayed together, you wouldn't have gone to school abroad and chased your real dreams." I looked his way but took my time to reply. "You're probably right, which is why I can't date anyone now."

Noah's eyes rolled to meet mine. "You're single?" "Going on seven years," I smirked softly. He looked utterly stunned by this revelation. "Wait. So I was the last guy you dated?" "Yeah, well; after you get heart completely crushed, you're not in such a hurry to do it again." "You've been single this whole time?" Noah just couldn't wrap his head around the idea. My head nodded resolutely, then my mouth opened a little. "Even if wanted to, it wouldn't be wise to start dating anyone right now. I have no idea where I'll be in five years, and it's really not worth the risk of heartache. No, once was enough for me…" My eyes lowered gently- gently and sadly. Noah saw this.

His head turned forward, letting his eyes roam aimlessly for a moment. "Is that…. the real reason you won't let yourself have feelings for anyone?" There was this knowing tone to his voice. I didn't look back at him this time; just kept my vision fixed out in front of me. "It's what's best, since I'm going back to Europe…. And I can't handle another heart break." A pregnant pause fell over us. I drew in a deep, long breath. "If I do find someone eventually, it'll be over there," though I doubt he'll ever make me as happy as Noah used to when we dated, or how happy Marco makes me feel now…

Noah didn't say anything immediately after this. It was a while before the sound of his voice broke the silence between us. Then he looked at me- he looked right at me without a hint of hesitation. There was this soft air about him now; something I hadn't seen in seven years. "Elle?" "Yes?" "Can you unblock my number on your phone?" My head tilted upwards gently so I could see him. His stare locked into mine, but his was more profound. The inside of me began to tremble, and I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. My lips became a thin, flat, emotionless line.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea, Noah." "Why not?" Noah asked. "Because there's no point to it. You're going to go back to America and we'll likely never see each other again. This isn't the time for rebuilding old connections. I told you before, I feel nothing for you now. There was a piece- a very large piece- of me that loved you once upon a time. But we're not like we once were….. You broke my heart, Noah…..

And not every broken piece of me is going to fit with every missing piece of you."


	16. Carry Your Smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Elle get caught out in the rain.

I guess I'm a little on guard with Noah, but can you blame me? Noah's already proven to me that to him, I'm never good enough. Not that I care- unlike Paris or Amsterdam, the piece of me he tore out isn't one I miss. But you….

"Huh, I wasn't expecting it to rain this hard," I stared at Marco from behind as he surveyed the sky outside my lobby. He'd come to pick me up after Noah dropped me back off at my building; I had still to tell Marco about it. Instead I just kept looking at him with sponge-like eyes. He checked over his shoulder behind to me. "Do you wanna wait or chance it? Elle? What are you looking at?"

But you….

I flinched, my train of thought instantly breaking. My eyes blinked a couple of times as I caught myself. "Huh? Oh! I don't mind chancing it, if you don't. Here, I actually think I have an umbrella," I pulled off my backpack and my hand dug around inside it. Marco watched me take out this cute light pink umbrella in its case. Grinning, I then held it out for him. "I bought this my first week here. It's a girly colour, but it'll keep the rain off. You can use it." "But, Elle….. What about you? You'll get wet then," Marco spattered frazzled. My grin grew as I shook my head. "That's alright; I don't mind. You use it, Marco." He gawked down at me for another minute before his eyes lit up. His gaze rolled back outside the sliding glass doors to the rain coming down roughly. "Why don't we share it?"

My eyes shot open wide in shock; my cheeks immediately sizzled a bright pink. "S-Share it?!" Now it was Marco's turn to smile. "Come on, Elle. We've kissed before; we can share an umbrella." Share an umbrella with Marco….? Oh god, my heart's going to explode! Still blushing furiously, my head fell down and I shyly walked over to Marco's side. Charmed by my coy reaction, he took the pink umbrella and opened it once the door slid to the sides. I couldn't meet his gaze when it reverted back down to me. "Shall we?" With his gentle prompting, I joined him under the umbrella's top, standing the closest I've been to Marco since that first hug a couple of weeks ago. My heart was pounding so hard, I was sure he could hear it.

What initially could have been a romantic situation turned out to be horrible. The rain picked up in speed, pouring down so fast and hard. Walking against it was a nightmare. I heard Marco let out a frustrated groan. The rain was so heavy, it started seeping through the umbrella's top. His hand clenched the now drenched handle. "This thing is useless," I think he said more to himself than me. "Let's take shelter until it stops," I suggested. He agreed and we found an awning to stand under. Marco shook out the umbrella, then closed it.

Of course I was going to feel bad. I'm the one who agreed to leave before it stopped raining; after living in Edinburgh, I should have known better. My eyes softened with sadness onto Marco. "I'm sorry, Marco." "Huh? Why are you sorry?" This obviously surprised him. "I thought my umbrella would be enough. Clearly I was wrong….." "No, you weren't wrong, Elle. You didn't know it would rain this hard. I'm just glad we're out of it now." Awe, Marco….. My stare lowered upon him; my lips parted a sliver.

"Mmmmm, I'm not sure how much longer it's going to last. Are you cold, Elle?" "Marco." This beautiful man paused so to look at me again. Our eyes glued onto each other's. I drew in a deep, deep breath. "Noah came to my office this afternoon." "He did?" Marco's face stiffened. I nodded gently. "He wanted to talk to me, so we went for ice cream." "Elle…..?" Marco's stare didn't break from mine. My bottom lip quivered a bit before I continued; my hands hugged myself so tightly. "I wanted to tell you, Marco. It didn't mean anything; nothing happened. But I wanted you to know, nonetheless." I guess that horrible year back in senior year of high school really taught me the value of good communication. I don't think I'd looked at Marco with such sincerity before…. "I don't want to keep secrets from you, Marco."

Marco didn't say anything right after this; he didn't say anything for a long time actually. Neither did I; the silence between us just felt so natural and comfortable. Instead of speaking, Marco merely, effortlessly stared down at me for I don't know how long. His eyes lowered onto me in the tenderest of ways. I didn't make a sound when he suddenly but softly removed his backpack and set it down at his feet on the pavement.

Marco proceeded to unzip and take off his jacket. He draped it overtop my head like a warm cover; I could feel his body heat on it. His coat contrasted to my dripping wet hair, but it did warm me up. For a few moments, Marco didn't remove his hands from his jacket, keeping its edges clasped in his palms. The whole time, our eyes didn't leave each other's. Ironically, neither of us were smiling; well, not on our faces anyway. Our expressions were solid and intense instead. I wasn't smiling just then, but I was so utterly, profoundly happy under that awning. Somehow, I could tell that he was too. We stood there, not making a sound and staring uninterrupted at one another; Marco's coat protectively covering me now. Yes, we weren't physically smiling, but we were- we were in a way I'd never experienced before. I couldn't take my mind off him. Marco….

I wish I could carry that smile of yours in my heart.


	17. Innocent Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Elle have a cute moment together.

"Let's go swimming!" "We haven't done that since our junior year in undergrad, Lee." "Then it's about time we did! What do you think, Marco? Wanna go swimming with us? You'd get to see Elle in a bathing suit." "Lee!" I slapped his knee. We were both sitting on the couch waiting for Marco. He was currently in the kitchen making popcorn for the movie. "Sorry, Lee, but I didn't bring a bathing suit," our housemate called back. "That's ok; me and Elle didn't either. We should go buy us some! Then we can go to some of their sick waterparks." "It's an idea," carrying the big bowl of popcorn, Marco finally entered into the living room. He sat down at one end of the couch, with me in the middle, and Lee at the other end.

Lee immediately reached across my lap to dig his hand into the bowl. Meanwhile Marco unfolded the fluffy pink blanket, tucking me in first before covering himself. I smiled at him then nibbled on a few pieces of popcorn. After Lee finished stuffing his face, he picked up the remote and turned on the smart tv. We all watched him casually stroll through the movie list.

"What should we watch tonight?" "Mmmmm, I don't know. What would you guys like?" I reached over to the table to grab my tea mug. Lee shrugged. "We could do um, Signs? Haven't seen that in a while." "That alien movie?" Marco's eyebrow raised. "What about Babes in Toyland?" I suggested. Lee gave me an unimpressed look. "You're a PhD candidate; not a three-year-old child." "What about Jaws?" Marco offered. "I'm down for that," I agreed. "If you wanna do horror, what about Train to Busan?" My best friend flashed me a cocky smirk. "That's not funny," I frowned, shoving his knee.

"What other Korean movies are there?" Marco scratched his cheek in a relaxed way. "Why does it have to be Korean? We could do a romance, like um…. Oh! How about Fifty Shades of Grey?" Lee announced. "No," both Marco and I replied in unison. Lee moped dramatically. "Why not? Ok then, what about 365 Days?" "Oh god, that's worse," my hand ran over my face. "Let's stick to horror," Marco urged. "Ok then. What about that Japanese movie, Ju-on? That's Asian and scary." "Yeah, I'd like that." "We could do that, or how about…..?"

Before Lee could finish his suggestion, my phone buzzing on the table caught all our attention. My best friend was the closest to it, so he reached over to grab it. He checked the screen and looked at me. "It's that blocked number again." "Seriously?! How is that even possible? Just leave it." With a shrug, Noah denied the call and set it back down again. Marco glanced down to me puzzled. "What's that all about?" My eyes widened and I didn't answer right away. I wasn't planning on telling them about my stocker, but….. "I don't want to keep secrets from you, Marco." But….. I inhaled deeply and silently. "Oh, it's just some guy who found my number somehow. I've had to block him a few times; it's nothing serious." But Marco and Lee didn't look like it was nothing serious; in fact, they were both staring at me worriedly now.

"What guy? Who is he?" Marco was half demanding; his tone wasn't scary, but it was firm. "I don't know. I've never met him before." "What's his name?" Lee pressed. "I don't know; I don't know how he knows who I am or how he got my number." "Have you told anyone about this?" Marco asked me. I shook my head. "I've been stocked before; but never by phone like this. I had a few guys follow me in Paris and Brussels- I know how to handle myself. I'm just ignoring him; he doesn't know where I live," I think, anyway. "Are you sure?" Lee questioned. I nodded. "It's been going on for two months. I think if he was going to confront me, he would have done so by now if he knew where I was." They didn't say anything for a moment; Lee and Marco just looked at each other. I flinched when Marco suddenly stood up off the couch, heading across the room.

"Where are you going?" I asked, confused. "Just making sure the front door's locked." "Marco, there's nothing to be afraid of. Lots of people get cyber-stocked." "Stop downplaying it, Elle. You know what that sounds like to us? Like you're not taking your personal safety seriously," Lee told me. My head turned to him. "I'm fine, Lee; really. Don't forget, I'm a foreigner here. The last thing I want is any legal trouble…. Well, anymore legal trouble." "It's not trouble! You're the victim here; you're the one the police want to protect." "But he hasn't done anything except call me. What can the police do about that? I don't even know if he lives in Seoul." Lee hesitated for a second, probably because he realized that I was right. Still, he wasn't going to leave it on that note. He reached over to drape his hand overtop mine. "Elle, you need to take this seriously. I mean it. If that freaks starts threatening you, or god forbid you see him, you need to tell the police and us." "Don't worry, Lee; I will. I will." I placed my other hand on his. Only then did he relax his posture a little. I think he was about to say something comforting until his phone began buzzing. He gave the world's largest eyeroll and dug his phone from his pants' pocket.

"Who is it?" I inquired when Lee didn't answer it. "Noah; he's calling me again." "Oh…. What does he want?" "Who knows, and who cares? It's movie night; I'll call him back later," Lee silenced the call and tossed his phone onto a nearby chair. By then, Marco had returned from double-checking that the apartment was secure. He got back under the blanket and Lee picked the remote back up.

"So, Ju-on?" "Yeah, I'm good with that. Marco?" "Sure. I like the American version; I hear the Japanese version is scarier." "It is," Lee concurred, scrolling down to the movie on the screen. I leaned back into the cushion, all comfy-like. Sure, it's not the best situation to have a stocker constantly calling you, but I honestly felt super safe here with both of them. Ever since Marco moved in, I hadn't been scared at all… Satisfied with this, I contently began eating popcorn again. Lee started the movie and we all set in to watch together. My hand reached back into the bowl, only to brush up against Marco's hand.

You know in those movies when the couple accidently touch each other in an innocent way? They freeze and soft music starts up all around them. Maybe I've been watching too many Korean dramas, but I swear, if this wasn't real life, I'd believe I was in one right now. Marco and I froze, only to peer up at each other with wide eyes; I think he was caught just as off guard as me. In the west, such moments between adults would seem childish, but they were perfectly normal here in Korean. Grown, successful people could act all shy around each other; there was nothing unusual about that. Maybe it's because we're so physically liberated where we come from, but honestly…. I think I kind of preferred this. As they say, when in Rome….

An embarrassed smile drew across my lips as I snatched my hand back. I'd never felt my heart squeal so much when this beautiful, elated grin blossomed over Marco's face. He tore his gaze away from me, still smiling wonderfully to himself. Neither of us noticed Lee's head spin our way; he wanted some more popcorn. He glanced at the both of us ponderingly.

"Why are you guys blushing?"


	18. You Make It So Easy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle runs into Noah again.

I stood in front of the shove with a wary look on my face. "Elle?! Come on! The train's gonna come soon!" Lee came into the kitchen while trying to put on his jacket; I sure it would have been easier if he wasn't in such a hurry. It's there he found me in my deflated state. "Elle?" He approached me when I didn't react to his arrival. His eyes wandered from me down to the sorry excuse of cookies on a cookie sheet resting on the shove. He had the nerve to burst out laughing.

"What the heck are those?!" "I wanted to surprise Marco with cookies this afternoon, to thank him for always making us lunches." "Those are supposed to be cookies?" Lee couldn't stop laughing. I shot him a glare. "So I still can't cook! There's a reason I always made us instant ramen- you know, besides money." After another full minute of laughter, Lee wiped his eyes and grinned at me. "Heh, you should still bring them to him." "What?! I can't do that; they look horrible," I countered. But Lee merely shook his head, still smiling. "Marco won't care. He'll just be so happy that you made them for him. That's how guys are; it's the thought that counts with these sorts of things." "Really?" Lee nodded affirmatively. "Oh yeah. He's going to be swooning all over you. I bet he'll ask you out!" "Stop it! I didn't make him cookies to get him to ask me on a date." "No… but I wouldn't be surprised.

Guys fall in love with girls because of the millions of things they never knew they were doing."

I was so nervous- and excited- heading into campus that afternoon. My class was cancelled this morning, so I got to come in later today; Marco came in this morning. I offered to ride the train with him, but he insisted Lee and I spend the free time together. Little did he know that Lee was passed out until eleven. Oh well! I tried- and failed- to make Marco some surprise cookies. My hand clenched the box wrapped up in a light pink handkerchief the whole way. That's what they do here; wrap food boxes in pieces of cloth to make them easier to carry. Plus it added a bit of cuteness to Marco's cookie box.

I came onto campus and went to head up to my office first. Along the way, I typed a message to Marco with one hand. It read: Hey, Marco; here now, safe and sound. Do you wanna meet me in the park at three? It took a moment for him to respond, which was totally understandable; he was probably in the middle of his own work now. His text said: Hey, Elle; glad you got here alright. I would love to, but my supervisor called me into an emergency meeting this afternoon. I'm sorry. My grin began to fade as I watched the screen. In reality, I had no reason to be upset; stuff like this happened all the time to me too. It's all part of being a PhD student, and it was my job to be understanding…. just like he always is to me. That thought made my smile return. I typed back: Not at all! It's totally fine. Are we still going home together later? His response was much faster this time. It said: Course! Meet you at outside your building at six. I replied: Sure thing! See you then. Have a good afternoon, Marco. He texted back: You too, Elle. He added a smiley face for emphasis. A grin still across my lips, I put my phone back into my pocket. Well, that's fine. I got work I can do anyway, and I can give him my cookies later. No rush.

I took the elevator up to my office; the common space was nice and busy. "Hi, Evans," a friend greeted me in Korean as I came in through the hall. "Hi there," I waved at them friendly. Then I turned to open my door until I spotted a slip of folded paper wedged into the crack. Curious, I pulled it out to discover that it was a note. It read: Meet me at the park at three o'clock.

Huh, that's the time I suggested Marco and I meet; but he couldn't have come up to put this here. Plus, he would have just texted me if he could make it. No, it couldn't have been him. But… My eyes widened as I reread it quickly. Wait, I know this handwriting; I've seen it so much before in the past. I accidently let out an audible gasp, grabbing the attention of my colleagues. Noah! Noah left this here for me!

A piece of me wanted to ignore Noah's note; just leave it and stay in my office when three o'clock rolled around. But knowing that he'd probably come up here if I did, I reluctantly dragged myself to the park at the requested time. I brought all my stuff with me, including Marco's cookies, since I wanted to go to the library after I finished up with Noah. For some reason, I honestly didn't think we'd be that long. Silly me.

Noah was already there, sitting on a park bench waiting by the time I showed up. Without me saying anything, his head turned over to me and he grinned. "Right on time," he stood up, placing his hands into his jeans' pockets. "Am I? Sorry if I'm a little late." "I just said you were on time. Don't be so quick to jump on yourself," Noah stepped over to me. "Oh, right. So…. Why did you want to meet me here?" Might as well jump right to the point. Noah relaxed his shoulders and gave me a clever smirk. "Well, since you won't unblock my number, and Lee's ignoring all my calls, I figured we have to act like school children and communicate through notes." "Why do want to communicate with me at all? Didn't I make it clear last time? I don't have feelings for you anymore, Noah." "I know you don't; or at least you say you don't. But why does that automatically mean we can't be friends? We were friends for sixteen years before we started dating," Noah took another step towards me; I couldn't help but notice him still grinning kindly down at me. I made sure to keep my frown, even though he was already wearing down my defences. My right foot slid back a little.

"Don't you think what happened between us killed any chances of friendship?" I argued, though not sounding as strong as I'd like. Noah's foot took another step in my direction. "Heh, if you asked me five or six years ago, I probably would have said yes. But we're older now, and I'm not so stupid anymore. Look, I'm not saying we have to be best friends right now. You're here and I just want you back in my life again. I'm not going to say some cliché line like "no girl has made me feel the way you did", despite it being true. But I will say that being with you the other day, even though we argued the whole time, was one of the easiest day's I've had in a long time." "Noah…." My hand rose up to my pounding chest as my foot slid backwards even more. Smiling profoundly, he took yet another step my way. He's getting awfully close to me…..

"I remember why we broke up, Elle; I'll admit I can't forget that. But for the first time, I remembered why I wanted to date you in the first place the other day. Being with you, around you…. I don't get it; you have this way about you. This easy, easy way…. It's like, I can just be myself, and it's so effortless too. I don't have to try- I just… am. Do you get what I mean?" Noah! My foot just kept sliding back and back. My eyes were ogling him now; my heart was beating so heavily. No… Why is he saying all this? I don't…. I don't get it. Why is he….?

Noah's eyes locked firmly onto mine, refusing to let go. "Every time I've tried to be myself before, it's come out as a cry for help instead. Maybe that's why every relationship after you never lasted. That's why I want to be friends, Elle. You make it easy…. And I just want it to be easy for a little while. Life in New York is the exact opposite of that. So will you let me have a real vacation and hang out with me during my stay here, babe?" "Noah!" My foot slid back so hard that I had to regain my balance.

What is happening?! Why is he telling me all this all of a sudden?! I was supposed to meet Marco here….. Instead Noah shows up and tells me all these confusing things. I was honest when I told him that I didn't have feelings for him any longer. I mean, I don't get the same feeling when I look at him now. Not anymore….. So then, why? Why don't I want to be friends with Noah? Why can't I just let him in? Am I really so afraid of losing him again? Or is it that I secretly know that when Marco leaves, there's already going to be such a big hole in me? It's going to be hard enough with one- why add to the pain with a second one? Do I really need to put my defences up so high?

My hand quivered up against my chest. I couldn't look Noah in the eye, keeping my stare cemented on the dirt in front of my feet. The hand holding Marco's cookie box gripped it so hard. "Friends…. You mean "only friends", right? I don't… I don't wanna be more, Noah…" He didn't respond instantly, but he did take one last step in my direction. Even though I was looking, I could feel his eyes burning a hole through me. "We'll be whatever you want. Just let me spend some time with you." Spend time with me….? I guess we could do that. S-Sure…. My lips parted a sliver.

I mean, what's there to be afraid of?


	19. Catch Me When I Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah and Elle discuss what being friends would really mean.

"So, how's this friendship thing gonna work?" "Huh? What do you mean?" "Well, I've never been friends with an ex before; primarily because you are my only ex." "Heh, do you know how sexy that sounds?" "Stop it, Noah! You shouldn't find anything I say sexy anymore!" Noah and I left the park and were now heading up the stairs in the library; there were some books I wanted to look for on the fifth floor. The clatter of our footsteps echoed through the staircase. Noah walked behind me, keeping his hands buried in his pockets like usual.

"Gees, uptight much? When did you become such a prude?" His voice sounded mildly unimpressed. "Seven years of abstinence will do that to ya," I retorted, feeling a little smug with myself. That was witty, I had to congratulate myself. "Seven years…. How'd you manage to go that long?" He asked me casually. "Well, being in the honours programme, going on a year-long exchange, and finishing a masters degree in two years helped big time…" My eyes narrowed unenthusiastically. "You did all that in seven years? Boy, you were a busy bee." "I take it then, that you've never read any of my work?" I peered at him from over my shoulder. He yawned and shook his head. "Are you joking? Your stuff is super boring." "Nugh, you're just like your brother," unimpressed, my eyes turned back forward. "Don't take it personally, Elle. I'm sure lots of other nerds have read and appreciate your work," I could sense his cocky smirk from here. This guy….. "I'm not a nerd. I don't like comic books or superhero movies." "No, just dull five-hundred-year-old texts." "Hey!"

My tirade was interrupted by the sound of a door opening two floors above us. We both grew quiet, glancing up curiously. Though I couldn't get a good look from down here, I knew who it was. My heart lit up in hopefulness. Noah blinked at me when I started yelling for her. "Ji-yoon! Ji-yoon, it's me!" Without any warning for him, my feet began running up the stairs; I dashed as fast as I could while carrying all my stuff. "H-Hey! Wait a minute!" Noah chased after me. But my full attention was on catching up with Ji-yoon.

I prayed that she'd change her mind and let me borrow the books I needed. I had yet to call Daddy about the train ticket; if she gave them to me, it would save me a trip to Busan. I shouldn't have been surprised, however, when she totally ignored my calls. "Ji-yoon! Wait! Please let me talk to you!" I cried in Korean. My hand stretched out in front of me, like that would do any good. I had made it to the fifth floor; Noah was just turning the round-about when I reached the top of the steps of that case. But I guess I was running to fast…. I heard Noah gasp from up here as the bottom of my shoe suddenly slipped against the concrete. It didn't register what was happening right away. You know that sinking feeling you get when you slip and fall backwards? Well, that's how I was feeling now. My brain momentarily shut off as my body went flying down the staircase. I should have crashed into the wall at the bottom. I should have….

There frantic footsteps, then a loud thud noise. I opened my winced eyes to find that I hadn't smacked into the wall like a pancake. I was sitting on the floor in between a pair of big, long legs. One arm was snaked around the front of me overtop my chest, while a broad hand was securely on the top of my head. Noah was on the floor behind me, holding me in his arms. It took a moment for me to understand that he caught me….. He caught me so I wouldn't land against the wall. "N-Noah!" I blinked up at him astonished.

"Are you hurt, Elle?" Those were the first words he asked me. My eyes grew wide in shock. "Me?! You're the one who crashed into the wall! Are you ok?" "It's nothing…. Just a little sore, that's all." "A-Are you sure?" I stood up, offering him my hand. He took it, slowly getting to his feet. "Y-Yeah." Seconds after he said this, the door to the seventh floor shut above us, causing us both to look. Ji-yoon was gone again…..

"You didn't have to do that," I sighed, leading Noah back to my office in my building. We took the elevator this time. "Do what?" He inquired. My lips frowned, mildly upset by his nonchalance about all this. "You didn't have to catch me." "And what? Let you flatten yourself against the wall? I think I can handle pain better than you, babe." "Would you stop calling me that? We're not dating anymore." "You don't have to date someone to call them "babe"." "Yeah, but I don't want people to get the wrong idea," I huffed. "So what if they do?" "Noah….."

We arrived at my office and I opened my door. Once inside, I went over to my desk where I set Marco's cookies down. An inward groan echoed throughout me as I hesitantly untied the pink handkerchief and removed the lid. A frown appeared across my lips. "Great…" "What?" "My cookies…. They're all broken." "So? They'll still taste the same," Noah made himself right at home, plopping down onto my chair. My head shook, disappointed. "They weren't for me; they're for Marco." "Marco?" Noah's eyebrow suddenly twitched.

"Hold on. I thought you said you guys weren't going out," my ex leaned forward a little, looking much sterner now. "We're not. I just wanted to do something nice for him. He's always making Lee and I special lunch boxes; he puts so much time into them….. I wanted to surprise him for once, but…. Well, they sucked anyway. I bet he wouldn't have liked them…" Noah's eyes lowered onto me. "Still suck at baking, do ya?" He said this, but his tone was much gentler. "You have no idea….." My vision rolled out the window, where I stared into space sadly.

Noah waited a second, then stood up and walked over to my side. "Come on." "Huh?" "Let me have one of those things." "You don't have to be nice to me, Noah. I'm not in the mood for cheering up….." "Yeah? Well, too bad. I'm gonna try one of your crushed cookies." My head shot over his way surprised. Noah picked up one broken off edge of a cookie. He proceeded to stick it in his mouth and chew. I watched him swallow and gaze back at me. He smirked….. Smirked and smiled at the same time. "You're right; they do suck." "I knew it….." "But you made them, so they're the best-tasting cookies there are." Noah…. My eyes met his. He seemed sincere…. "That's really childish," I smirked, feeling slightly better. "So is making cookies for some guy," Noah shot back, but not in a mean way. My mouth opened slightly. Some guy…

Noah's expression changed as mine grew more serious. I turned my feet so I could face him full-on. That's right, we are older now; I've learned from the mistakes of our past. I know what I have to do now, if I want to do this right. My eyes sharpened onto Noah's.

"If you're serious about this friendship thing, Noah, then we're going to have to include Lee and Marco."


	20. Worst First Dinner Ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle, Lee, Marco, and Noah all go out for dinner. Things do not go well.

"Remind me again why we're doing this. Why we're going to blow half our week's food budget on a single dinner, just so we can hang out with the guy who broke your heart," Lee was to my left and Marco at my right. We were heading down the street to one of those Korean bbq places. I'd been here for nearly half a year and have yet to visit one of them yet. I let out an exasperated sigh and Marco rolled his eyes. "We're going because he's your brother, and because he wants to re-establish a relationship with Elle. One of her conditions was that we are included in this friendship circle," Marco explained for me, to which I was thankful for. Lee, on the other hand…. He eyes narrowed unimpressed. "Who said I ever wanted to be chums with Noah? I was doing perfectly fine before he came back along." "Lee….." I sighed deeply again. "Just do it for Elle. If she wants us there, the least we can do is go along." "No, the least we can do is nothing. Do you really want to be friends with Noah again, Elle?" Lee's gaze wandered back over to me. I stared straight forward, considering Lee's question for a second. Well, no; not really. It's not at the top of list anyway, but… "That's why I want to be friends, Elle. You make it easy…. And I just want it to be easy for a little while." I guess a part of me feels like I can't say "no". Oh well…. I sighed for I don't what time that day and closed my eyes. "Might as well, while he's here anyway…."

We agreed to meet Noah outside the restaurant at seven that Saturday night. He was already outside the place when we came into view. Naturally with his hands in his pockets, he saw us and grinned. We met on the sidewalk halfway. "Hey," Noah greeted everyone in his usual casual manner. "Hey, man." "Hi, bro." "Good evening, Noah," we all acknowledged back. "Should we go in? I have no idea how these places work," Lee's head turned to the sliding wooden doors. "We just go in and sit down," I explained; sure, I'd never actually been to somewhere like here, but I knew enough about the culture. They took my word for it and we all clambered inside. It was a cute little restaurant: one room and each table had a tiny grill in the middle of it. "How 'bout here?" We found a four-person table with two chairs on each side. Lee and Noah sat down beside each other. Marco helped me remove my jacket and placed it on the back of my chair before doing the same with his. Once we were seated, I pulled out a two-sided menu. It was all in Korean- fantastic. But it did have pictures.

"Why do you guys want?" I asked, scanning over the menu; I could read a good part of it, and knew they couldn't. "How does this work?" Noah eyed the grill suspiciously. "You cook your own food at your table. We order raw meat and veggies and stuff like that," Lee told him. "You're supposed to cook it yourself?" Noah didn't sound impressed. "It's really good; you can cook your food how you like," I rushed to Lee's aid. "I can man the grill," Marco folded his arms. "You?" Noah's eyes darted to him. "Let him. He's a really good cook," I said without thinking. Luckily I didn't notice all eyes, particularly Marco's, on me immediately after this. Marco smiled; Noah did not.

"How does a plate of marinated beef rib-eye sound?" My finger pointed to the photo so they'd know what it looked like. They seemed surprisingly cool with this suggestion. "Sure. And how about some beef bugogi too?" Lee added. "Sounds good. What do you guys think?" "I'm down. Marco?" "Yeah, sure. Those will grill nicely." "Great! And what do we want to drink?" I then picked up the smaller, thinner drink card. This one didn't have any pictures for me to show them. It didn't help it was all in a language they couldn't understand either.

Noah shrugged. "Any of those alcohol?" My finger flinched a tad. "Uh, yes. What kind of alcohol do you want?" "Any beer?" "You want Korean beer?" I questioned, making Noah blink to me startled. "What about that booze they're always drinking in Korean dramas? What's that called?" Lee asked. "Soju?" I answered a bit unsure; I've never any of this before. "Yeah, that. It's supposed to be sweet, isn't it? Let's try a bottle of that," Lee announced. "Eh, why not?" Noah's shoulder shrugged again. I set down the drink menu and lowered my eyes. "I'll get a pot of tea, then," I think it went over their heads that I don't drink now. Instead, Noah glanced over to Marco with a bit of smug air about him. He spread his arms along the top of his chair in a confident position.

"What about you, Marco? What are you gonna get to drink?" "I think I'll have an iced coffee," Marco replied with speed and finality. Noah looked surprised, and a little brash. "What? You don't wanna drink with us?" There was a tone to his voice. I sent Noah a look, but Marco kept his calm, collected composure. He straightened his back up and looked Noah dead in the eye. "Elle's here, and I'm taking us home later. I want to be aware for the journey." Marco…. I snuck a peek at him through the corner of my eye. He's been extra-cautious since I told him about my stocker….. And I absolutely loved it; I think I adored it more and more each day. But Noah, on the other hand…

Of course, Noah frowned mildly insulted. "I know Elle's here. What does that have to do anything? Heh, can't handle your liquor too good?" "That's not it," Marco's eyes sharpened onto Noah's; it was clear he was growing more upset. "You don't drink like a little pansy?" Noah jarred. "I don't drink anymore, Noah. Does that make me a pansy too?" I retorted to him coolly. "That's different! You not drinking doesn't make you any less cool, Elle," Noah shot back, but not as romantically as you think. "But it does for me?" Marco crossed his arms.

"Look, let's just all get tea. We can drink some other night when we're at home or somewhere, ok?" Lee finally raised up his hands to defuse the situation. "Alright. Can you order for us, Elle?" Marco asked me. I nodded. "Sure thing," my hand lifted to call a waitress over. This lovely young Korean woman came over, asking what we'd like in Korean. I answered in Korean, showing her on the menu just in case I mispronounced anything. She took down our order. Then she flashed me a grin. I blinked to her puzzled when her head motioned to all the guys sitting at my table. My cheeks instantly blushed and I looked down to my balled hands on my lap. Still grinning, she left our table. Once she was gone, everyone glanced to me perplexed. "Elle, you ok?" Marco inquired. "O-Oh yeah! I'm fine!" I spouted back, unable to look up from my hands. Looks like took me at my word, since they started conversing amongst themselves.

Marco sat back in his chair, keeping his arms crossed; Noah did the same. The two men glared at each other. "So, gotten into med school yet? Or are you still floundering with that too?" "Marco!" I gasped, shocked. But Noah wasn't fazed in the slightest. His glare merely sharpened onto Marco. "Not yet. It's harder to get into a prestigious medical programme than the liberal arts." "Noah!" "Come on, you guys. Don't fight. The last time we were together like this was….. uh…. huh. When was it?" Lee pondered to himself, lifting his eyes up towards the ceiling in a thoughtful fashion. Marco and Noah didn't take their eyes off each other an inch.

"I remember. It was when you tried to goat me into a fight back at the academy's football yard," Noah spat bitterly. "That's not how I remember it, Flynn," Marco countered with an equal amount of venom. "Hey, yeah! I remember that night! That Chloe chick stopped you, didn't she Noah?" Lee's fingers snapped in remembrance. "I don't want to talk about her," Noah's frown widened. "Why? Because you dated Chloe after you and Elle broke up?" Lee seemed genuinely confused. I almost spat up the sip of water I was taking. "What?!" Noah and Chloe actually dated?! You mean while I was suffering the most excruciating pain for four years, he was going out with Chloe?!

Thank goodness the food and beverages arrived when they did. I'm sure this would have turned ugly fast if we weren't forced to get off the topic. The waitress turned on the grill and left us to it. No one did anything right away, but soon enough Marco picked up the tongs. "How does everyone liked their meat cooked?" "Medium." "I'm good with medium." "Medium-well." "Alright," my housemate began to fry our dinner. We watched him, growing evermore hungry by the tantalizing aromas.

"Here, Elle. This one's for you," my eyes grew as Marco picked up the largest piece in the tongs. "Oh, no! You should have that one, Marco. It's the biggest!" "That's why I'm giving it to you. Give me your plate." "I'm with Elle on this one, Marco. You know she eats like a bird," Lee clasped his hands, resting one elbow up beside him. "But this is her first time having Korean bbq," Marco disputed kindly. "So? It's all our first time. Here, I'll take it." "Marco should have it. He's doing all the cooking," I argued with Lee. Noah rolled his eyes. "I'll settle this. Give to me. Here, give those two smaller pieces to Elle." "She can pick her own meat," Lee shot back. Let's just say it wasn't the best way to start a meal.

We ate, making admittedly forced small talk in between bites. I had just finished my plate and reached over to the grill with my chopsticks. Noah looked at me. "You shouldn't eat so much meat, Elle." "Excuse me?!" My eyes flashed to him incredulously. "It's not healthy for someone your size and weight." "I can eat whatever I want, Noah." "Oh? You're going to argue this with someone who has a master's degree in medicine?" Noah retorted sharply. "Leave her alone, Flynn," Marco warned, glaring at him while continuing to eat from his own plate. "Sorry for caring about her digestive system," Noah shot back. Having enough, Marco set down his chopsticks.

"Do you know why she's eating so much beef? It's because she's ate nothing but instant ramen for the past three months, and not by choice. I guess you wouldn't know what it's like having to go without, coming from an ultra-wealthy family. But ever since the three of us moved in together, we've actually been able to afford food like fruit, vegetables, and meat. So don't you sit there and lecture her about how much she eats. I doubt it'll affect her health, after those first few months she lived through."

No one dared utter a word for a moment; it was silent, and in the tensest of ways. I don't think Noah could have glared harder at Marco just then. "Oh, right; I almost forgot. You three live together now….. In a two-bedroom apartment." "Jesus, Noah; stop it! He sleeps on the couch, for Christ's sake! What? You really think he'd share a room with Elle?" Lee yelled in anger. None of the boys were particularly happy right now. Talk about an awkward situation. I just sat there, continuing to munch on my beef.

"How would I know where he sleeps? The only thing I know about the man is that he had the hots for my woman back when we were dating," Noah accused. "Well of course he liked Elle; who wouldn't like her? But the point is Marco never acted on it. Elle kissed him, remember?" Lee stated. "Oh, I remember," Noah took a big swill of his now lukewarm tea. "Guys….." I sighed, lowering my chopsticks. This was getting ridiculous; I had no idea there was so much bad blood between them. But, just like they do in those cheesy romance movies, I was utterly ignored by three hot-headed men currently at each other's throats. Lee's eyes narrowed sourly onto Noah.

"Just admit it. You're not interested in being friends with Elle; you still have a thing for her." "That's where you're wrong, little brother," Noah leaned back in his chair. "Really? Then why are you so on edge about Marco being around?" "I'm not on edge; I could care less that Marco just randomly- and quite conveniently- showed back up in your lives. I just want to spend some time with Elle while I'm here. What's wrong with that?" Noah demanded. "What's wrong with that? Did you ever take Elle's feelings into consideration? No; of course you didn't. Lee's right; you want to hang around for your sake, not Elle's," Marco added to the fight. Noah fired him a look. "You really don't know what you're talking about, pretty boy." "Oh, I think I do. What does Elle get out of this friendship? Or me and Lee, for that matter?" "Guys, come on. Please stop fighting," I sighed gravely.

"Why do you even want to be friends? If you're looking for a girl to date, there's several beautiful women in Korea," Lee threw his hand up. "For the last time, I didn't come for that!" Noah slammed his hand down onto the tabletop. "Oh, so you're looking for a bed buddy then?" Lee smirked very, very sourly. Noah looked like he wanted to wipe that smirk right off Lee's face. "Trust me, Lee; I don't have any problems in that department, unlike your virgin ass." "Hey, yeah. That brings up a good question: just how many girls have you shagged since you and Elle broke up?" Lee brought his thumb up under his bottom lip. "None of your business," Noah retorted. "What about you, Marco? How many girls have you dated since high school?" My best friend then asked our housemate. Macro didn't reply right away, polishing off his tea in an awkward manner. He set down his cup and exhaled intensely.

"None." "What?" This caught all of us by absolute shock. Marco's eyes scrolled up a bit; him looking rather shy just then. "I just didn't meet anyone I wanted to date. Not since….." But Marco caught himself mid-sentence. Our eyes met timidly through their corners, only to immediately rush away. We were both blushing insanely by then; my hand lifting to my pounding chest. Marco… "Awe!" Noah cooed happily. Noah did not look amused- not at all. He simply scoffed and refilled his own teacup.

"You made it all the way to PhD without getting laid? How sad are you?" "Not every guy wants to sleep with anything that moves!" Marco shot back. "Is that what you think I'm like?" Noah had a dangerous tone to his voice. "I'm sure you weren't thirsty through school," Marco wasn't afraid of Noah; not at all. "Listen, you little…!" But Lee burst out laughing.

"It's so true, isn't it, Noah?" "Shut up, Lee!" "See? Why did we think this would be a good idea? We have nothing in common," Macro rolled his eyes. "Actually, I think you two are more alike than you may realize," Lee took a bite of his beef with that knowing grin of his. "How can you compare me with this loser?" Noah questioned Lee, earning his millionth glare from Marco. He too smirked in premature victory. "I may not have the track record in bed that you do, but I've managed to retain these things called "class" and "dignity" over the years. Remember what those are?" "I'm gonna kick your smarmy….!"

It was my turn to throw my arms up in the air dramatically. "Oh my god! Why are we even talking about this? This was supposed to be a nice night out to develop our friendship; not tear each other to pieces. So what if Marco didn't date through masters and undergrad? You didn't have the same negative reaction when I told you I was single for the past seven years," I was speaking to Noah in specific. His head turned to me a bit alarmed. For the first time tonight, he seemed flustered. "W-Well, no….. I mean, it's different with you." "No, it's not. I haven't gotten laid since my first year at Berkeley. If anyone's the real loser here, it's me." "No, you're not," Noah shook his head. "Don't say that," Marco tacked on, placing his hand on the rim of my chair. I couldn't help but smile, feeling somewhat playful. If that's the way they want to play, so be it. I leaned forward a bit, reaching for my cup on the table. "Seven years….. You guys probably thought I got lucky back in Amsterdam, didn't you?"

"No!" Both Lee and I flinched at Marco and Noah's sudden simultaneous yelling. What the…..?! What? Just, what?! They continued to stare at me; their eyes bolted in. "Not at all!" "Never! What are you talking about?" They carried on at the same time. I blinked…. I could only blink. Lee and I looked at each other, then I turned back to them totally dumbfounded. That was not the reaction I had anticipated. It's almost like I had insinuated something insulting to them. Wait…. My mouth opened a little. Does this mean then that they….? Do they see me as some sort of virginal creature or something? But I'm not even a virgin…

"There's nothing wrong with it. I am a grown woman, after all….." I gazed down at my tea. "I told you I never thought that!" Noah slammed his hand down on the table again. "Elle doesn't have much experience in the dating department," Lee rubbed the back of his neck. I know he was trying to help me, but really Lee? Did you have to put it like that? I shrugged, plucking up one of the last few remaining bits of meat on the grill. "I'm not so naïve. I did have one boyfriend before." "Yeah, my brother- and look how that turned out. Should have just followed the rules, Elle," Lee proclaimed. "We came up with those best friends' rules when we were five; they don't count anymore," I ate my food. "They shouldn't have counted back then. Would have saved us a big headache that first summer," Noah rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut it, Noah. Transparency's never been your forte either," Lee fired back. Marco snickered and Noah flashed him an annoyed glare.

"What's your problem, Marco?" "Who says I got a problem, Flynn?" "Are you looking to pick a fight with me again? Well that'd be stupid cause you'd lose." "Incredible. After all those years, you still have such a nasty temper. Stop being so childish," Marco announced. Noah crackled his hand muscles just by bringing them into a fist. "Childish? How about I knock your lights out? Would that be "childish"?" "I thought you said you didn't start fights, Noah; only finished them?" Lee smirked at his brother. "What did you just say?!" Noah demanded of him. "Jesus Christ, how dumb can you be?" "You wanna say that to my face, you…..?"

"For goodness's sake! All of you, stop it!" I lunged up from my chair, sending it falling back behind me. Now all men were quiet, gawking over to me with gigantic eyes. It took me a second to calm my mind down enough to begin talking again. I sent them all enraged looks. "Are you guys elementary school children? Seriously! We're supposed to be friends. I'm friends with each of you, but you all act like you want to kill each other! Grow up! There's no reason for you to fight like this. We're all in Seoul for such a short amount of time; I don't want to spend it refereeing you three!" My forefinger shot in my best friend's direction. "Lee- you and Noah are brothers, whether you like it or not. You can be civil to him for at least while he's here. And you two!" My finger then swung over to Marco and Noah. "I know there's some bad blood from the past, but that's all done now. There's no reason for you to fight anymore. Nobody's won or lost here, ok? If you really want our friendship to work, then try to get along. No more threatening to knock each other's lights out. Got it?!"

I think not just theirs but all eyes in the restaurant were now glued onto me. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. I took a few deep, stilling breaths, planting both hands on the corner of the table. Well! I hadn't scouted like that since….. I honestly can't remember. The first voice I heard wasn't any of theirs; it was a male voice I didn't recognize. He muttered something under his breath, making me turn my head to him. This older Korean man was glaring at me from his table across the room. After watching him for a moment, this sudden compulsion to laugh swept over me. Lee, Marco, and Noah all looked at me like I was crazy when I suddenly burst out laughing. I was laughing so hard, I actually had to get down to my knees.

"Elle?" That was all Lee said, gazing down at me worriedly. I wiped the corner of my eyes, still laughing. "That man…. He said "those damn noisy foreigners"," I elucidated in between laughs. They all glanced at him, suddenly being hit with the same realization as me- that we weren't the only ones in the joint, and we had put on quite a show for our audience. Lee was the first to crack a smile, and Marco couldn't stop himself from chuckling. Soon enough, they were laughing with me, which I'm sure didn't add to the drama-fest we just presented. Marco helped me get my chair back up and sit down on it. He grinned at me, then over at Noah. For the first I think ever, the two men were not showing any animosity towards the other.

"Ok, I think I got it out of my system. You?" Marco asked Noah, to which he nodded. "I think so. Lee?" "Yeah, pretty much. I don't hate your guts so much anymore, if that means anything." The men all gave a nod to each other, then- like they had it planned- gazed back to me. They all grinned my way, looking much more relaxed now. I think we needed that cathartic laughter.

"Sorry, Elle." "Yeah, sorry." "Sorry about that, babe." They apologized one-by-one. My eyes did a round-table and I finally smiled at them. "So, are we finally all cool now?" Lee and Noah nodded, and Marco draped his arm behind my chair in a comforting style.

"Yeah, we're cool."


	21. Swimsuit Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco, Lee, and Elle all go swimsuit shopping.

I turned the corner to the girls' bathing section of the store. Marco and Lee were right behind. "Are we going to invite Noah to come swimming with us?" Lee inquired. "We could. We're supposed to be friends now, aren't we?" I responded half-heartedly; I wasn't really in the mood for swimsuit shopping today. Bathing suits never looked good on me… "We can ask, but there's no guarantee he'll come," Marco shrugged. "Good point. Eh, we'll deal with that later. For now, it's swimsuit time!" Unlike me, Lee had an incurable enthusiasm about this whole thing.

The guys went to their part of the store, right next to mine. They scanned over the bathing trunk options while I begrudgingly searched through the girls' section. A groan echoed inside me. Nugh, I hate shopping for swimsuits; I've never really liked it. It was always so hard to pick anything out, and all of these were made for Korean women. Meanwhile I'm here with my broad hips and big thighs. None of these are going to look cute and dainty on me….

"Hmmmmmm, so many choices….. We'd look good in any of these, hey Marco?" "Heh, I'm sure we'll find something we'll like. What about you, Elle?" "Huh?" My shoulders flinched, his voice breaking my self-pity party. "How are you doing over there?" "O-Oh, fine!" I'm not sure why I blushed, but I did. "Find anything?" He pressed, though I'm sure he wasn't aware that he was doing so. My head shook almost timidly so. "N-Not yet!" "Ok then, we'll be over here." "Sure thing!" What's wrong with me? We're just looking for bathing suits; it's not like this is anything to be embarrassed about.

The embarrassment was ramped up to eleven, however, when Lee came bouncing over with this way too big bikini; and I mean big in the rack department. My whole face sizzled red as he showed it off to me. "Hey, Elle? What do you think of this one? Pretty cute, eh?" "That's way too big, Lee!" My hands clasped together in front of my chest. He looked confused. "Huh? No, it's not. You're skinny enough." "Not that way, you idiot! Find a smaller one! And no bikinis! Full pieces only." "What?! Those aren't sexy," Lee gasped. "I'm not going for sexy, Lee!" Well, I guess I'm going for cute, but I'm too big structure-wise for those kinds of bathing suits; at least in Korea. Man! I hate this! It never gets easier, even as an adult.

Lee put the bikini back and re-joined Marco in the men's department. I took the opportunity to find some modest one-pieces; all in pink. To be honest, I wasn't enthusiastic about any of them, but they were only one I remotely liked in the whole store. I wasn't lying when I said that bathing suit shopping wasn't fun for me. I grabbed the fifth one off the rack by the time Marco and Lee came over; their arms full of trunks. Looks like they didn't have any problems.

"Come on, Elle. We're gonna go try ours on," Lee grinned at me. My eyes grew wide, a bit taken aback. "T-Try them on? You mean in the same changing area?" "There's only one," my best friend laughed. Change…..? You mean, Marco's gonna see me in a swimsuit? Oh god, why does that feel so…. intimate? It's not intimate! Lots of guys are gonna see you in a swimsuit at the pool. Plus you're a grown woman who's had sex before. Showing a guy a swimsuit shouldn't be a big deal. It isn't a big deal! Only…. My cheeks blushed slightly. It's Marco…

I stayed in my changing room for much too long. None of the ones I picked out looked really right to me. I threw off the fourth one and grabbed the fifth. Well, it's either this one or I'll have to go back out and look again. I cringed so hard at the sudden voice calling out behind my curtain. "How's it coming? Do you need me to grab a different size for you, Elle?" Awe, Marco…. He's so kind. And I'm going to show him me looking all geeky in a bathing suit.

"Dude! I think we've found a winner!" Lee told Marco, coming out of his changing stall. "Nice," Marco complimented him. "Do I look hot or what?" "Definitely, but I don't know if I'm the right person to be answering that." "Eh, you'll do. Go try on your trunks, man! I'll pester Elle to get out here and show us." "Alright, but she may need another size." "Roger! Hey! You done changing in there, Elle! Come on! We wanna see!" Gees, Lee! Can you be anymore cringy? But I guess I can't put it off any longer…. I sucked in a long breath and opened the curtain. Lee watched me reluctantly step out into the open.

"So…. What do you think?" I stood there, looking as uncomfortable as I sounded. Lee gave me a once over and shrugged his shoulder. "Eh. A bikini would be hotter." "We're not going for hot, Lee! How does it look naturally?! Does it…. look alright?" "Yeah, it's fine. But I don't know why you've gotten so shy about showing skin in recent years. You're the one who stripped at our house party in high school, don't forget." "I'm not that same girl anymore. I'm…. well, I'm just shy about showing off too much! Call me a virgin or something. Anyway….. So it does look ok?" "It's pretty, Elle; you'd look good in anything. But I still think you should go with a bikini. What do you think, Marco?"

My heart skipped a beat as Marco's curtain drew back. As if he couldn't be any more of an Adonis, he was so ripped and swoll; just like back in senior year. He was like a living work of art… And here I was, looking like someone didn't know how to dress their swimming barbie doll properly. He's going to think I look so whack compared to him…. I got ready to inwardly cry.

But I didn't cry, and Marco didn't say anything right away. He just stared at me for the briefest of moments; his eyes wide and absorbing. He wasn't smiling; it's like he got caught by surprise or something. My heart raced faster and faster as he turned his head to the side, refusing to look straight at me any longer. I swear, I could see the tops of his cheeks blushing slightly….. And it's moments like this I remember just how dense my best friend can be at times.

"What'd you think, Marco? Cute, eh?" Marco still declined to even glance at me again. He kept his eyes locked onto the wall beside him. "Yeah, she's….. beautiful." Marco! I felt like I was going to explode from the inside out. Yet again, he acted as if he caught himself, flinching a little. He blinked and spun right around, facing his back to us. "A-Anyway…. You better put some clothes on; you're going to catch a cold." Marco…. My eyes grew. A secret grin rolled over my lips as I reverted back into my changing room. Meanwhile, Lee looked all bewildered and confused again.

"Hey dude, you don't seem to have a problem about me catching a cold!"


	22. Reasons For Me To Find You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah and Elle have a little heart-to-heart.

Over the past week, Noah had gotten into the habit of coming over to my office in the afternoon. "You don't have to come here all the time, you know. We could meet somewhere off campus and do something, if you want," I told him one day while typing away on my computer. Noah sat in the single lounge chair behind me, tossing a rubber ball up into the air repeatedly. "Yeah, but I don't want to distract you from your work." Then what do you call this? I groaned inside myself. "Don't you have better things to do with your time than watch me work?" I sighed tiredly. "Like what?" "I don't know. Explore Seoul?" "Eh, I can do that later… like when you go for lunch everyday with Marco." "Of course I'm going to eat on campus with him; he makes my lunch and we want to see each other. You're free to join us." Noah eyed me from behind. "Boy, are you dense," he remarked. "Rude," I kept on typing.

Noah leaned back in his seat, spreading his arms across the back. His head tilted up towards the ceiling. "It's an idea, though." "What?" I asked, not glancing away from my screen. "We should go somewhere sometime." "Like where?" "Well, what would you like to do?" He questioned. I shrugged, still not stopping. "We could go to a museum or art gallery." "Could you pick something not so mind-numbingly boring?" "Oh, that's right; I forgot. I'm the nerd who likes boring, intellectually-stimulating things. Not like the Rijksmuseum was my favourite place in Amsterdam or anything." Noah didn't respond immediately, but I could sense him watching me. "You really have changed, haven't you?" He finally spoke. "I guess so. I didn't realize it was happening," I honestly answered. "Huh, none of us do," he remarked casually.

A moment of silence fell between us. Noah let out a surrendering sigh. "Alright; have it your way. We'll go to a museum." "Don't do me any favours. I can go with Lee or Marco if you don't want to." Noah's palm twitched, though I didn't see it. He began to frown. "Why don't you treat me the same as them? I'm supposed to be your friend too, aren't I?"

This made me stop typing. I spun around in my chair so to face him head on; our eyes instantly locked. "Maybe it's because we used to go out? And we broke up for a reason?" "Yeah, but you said so yourself: that's ancient history. It's all in the past. You don't need to feel weird around me anymore." "Who said I feel weird around you?" "No one had to. I'm not blind, Elle. We're friends now- treat me like a friend," his gaze sharpened. My lips parted a sliver. Treat him like a friend? I guess when I'm being truthful, I am still keeping that wall up….. But what will happen when and if I let it crumble down? How will I feel in a month or so? Is this really something I should be getting into? Well, looks like it's time for some communication!

"Noah, let me ask you something." "Huh?" "I want to ask you a question, and I want you to be honest. Why did you break up with me?" Noah's face dropped just like that. He was not expecting me to bring this up; not after I declared I don't want to talk about it for so long. His mouth opened but it took another minute for any words to come out. "What? Elle, why are you bringing this up now?" "Just answer the question. I need to know, for my own sake. Please….."

Noah looked straight at me for a moment later, then sighed gravely and tossed his head back. "Why did I break up with you? I thought it was obvious: because you chose to go to Berkeley after getting accepted to Harvard." "Is that all?" I pressed on. His eyes narrowed a tad bit. "Yes…. Well, no. To be totally honest, I was really looking forward to you coming to Harvard with me. I thought that if you came, we could start a real future together, you know? It felt at the time that you chose Lee instead of me….. But you didn't really choose Lee per se. You just chose not me." "Noah….." My vision softened onto him.

"I guess in the heat of the moment, I decided to end it with you. I didn't really…. think through the consequences of my actions at the time and didn't realize what I did until it was too late. I told myself I could, I would get over you; I would meet someone else and move on. Heh, sounded a lot easier than it was…" "Noah, you…." My hand rose up to my chest. A sad grin crept across his face. "Yeah, I know I screwed up. I know the hell you went through those four years after the fact…. We're not kids anymore; we can't keep playing these games. And I don't want to make the same mistakes as before. You're guarded- I get it. I also know I have no right to ask you to trust me. But…." His head moved forward so we could look into each other's eyes again. Noah's lowered onto mine. "I'm not asking you to feel anything for me again, Elle. Just treat me like a friend; treat me like the others. Bake cookies for me and invite me over to your place. Give me a chance to be a real friend to you, ok?"

After staring at him for I don't know how long, my own stare lowered. My head tilted downwards ever so slightly. "You're right…. I am guarded- at least with you. Sometimes I forget…. And sometimes I can't forget…. Just how much I used to love you. I loved you so much, Noah; I was convinced that you were the one. We were so close; we understood each other….. I think that's why I'm so afraid. It took me seven years to get over you- to look at you and feel nothing. But what will happen when I let my guard down and let you in again? Will if all those feelings I once had for you return? The scary thing is…. I don't want them too," my hand quivered uncontrollably on my chest. My line of sight shifted downwards slowly.

"I'm happy. For the first time in a long time, I'm finally happy again- I don't want to lose that either. That's why…. love with not just you but anyone seems like such a dangerous gamble. It's not worth it…. I don't think it's worth the risk, what with me moving back to Europe. I don't want to fall in love with you again, Noah. That's why I'm so afraid….. because I know how easy it was to love you. Too easy…. And I'm not strong enough to go through all that again….."

Noah remained quiet for a long, long time. Eventually however, he stood up all of a sudden. He wasn't smiling, and his hands were balled into fists. I blinked as he suddenly came over to my side. Boy, did my eyes get wide. "N-Noah?" "I'm sorry, Elle." "Huh?" "I see what I did to you… I'm so sorry. You deserved so much better than me….." "Noah…." He let out a long, pained sigh. I then flinched as he reached down to take my hand; he cradled it so tenderly in his. "I can't undo what I did, Elle, but I can try and make it better. Please, don't be so afraid anymore. I know you're scared to get hurt again, and you won't let yourself get attached….. But please…. You don't have to be afraid; I'm never going to let anything hurt you like that again." Noah! My heart skipped a beat. My mouth opened.

"B-But you can't promise that, Noah….. You know you can't." "The hell I can't. Just while I'm here, lower your walls and let me in. Lee's the only one inside your heart right now, isn't he? It must be so lonely for you. I don't want that for you, Elle. I'm not asking you to love me, but I'm asking you to do this for me. Let me make right the mistakes I made before," his hand gave mine a tight squeeze. I couldn't stop gawking up at him. Lower my walls? I hadn't even dared to consider….. "B-But how do I know I won't get hurt again? How do I know I can trust you?" "You can't. But I need you to do this for me, Elle. Just try; let yourself learn to love again. Love is such a wonderful thing…. Someone very precious taught me that. I want that for you someday….. Please, Elle." "Noah…." What can say to that? How can I answer you, Noah?

Eventually he smiled, still holding my hand securely in his. "We're friends, Elle, which means you can call me when you need me. Call me- I will come. There are so many reasons...

Reasons for me to find you."


	23. Then There Was Noah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief look into Noah's past and feelings.

Noah's P.O.V.- (Three Years Ago)

[I'm such an idiot.

When did I realize that? I think it started when I was in masters at Harvard. I'd been at Harvard for over five years now; it took me a long time to graduate from undergrad. All the partying, womanizing, and just basically being a mess didn't help. I didn't know what was wrong with me- for the longest time, I told myself it was my inherent temper. I never had any relationships that lasted too long. Nothing ever lasted too long in my life, except for school…..

"Hey, Noah!" "Hi," I replied back to this girl in my department; she'd been extra friendly to me lately. It would have been easy for me to ask her out…. but for some reason, I didn't feel like it. I was going home back to my parents' place that weekend; they were looking to sell soon and wanted me to clean out my old room. Fine, whatever; I didn't have that much in there anyway.

Mom gave me a ton of boxes to fill, which seemed kind of pointless. I wanted to move to New York after graduation and couldn't take much with me. Still, I guess she wanted me to have the option. My room wasn't uber messy or cluttered; it was easy enough to get through in one day.

I pulled out a box from the top shelf in my closet; just old mementos I'd collected throughout the years. Could throw all these out too. Most the contents were pictures and old football trophies and garbage. Picking up an old high school yearbook, my eyes widened as a photo fell to the floor. I picked it up and my heart froze in my chest.

It was of Elle back in high school. She was sitting against one of the rail things they have along streets. I must have taken the picture, since she was looking in the way of the camera and smiling. That was the kind of smile I hadn't seen in a long time. I remember…. My eyes slowly began to grow. She used to smile at me like that all the time; she was always so radiant around me. Like my own personal sun….. I'd forgotten how good it felt to warm myself in her rays.

I honestly hadn't thought about Elle in years. At some point, I successfully- or so I thought- pushed her out of my mind. It never occurred to me that she might still be there; I didn't push her out but down…. down to somewhere deep inside the dark recesses of my heart. I didn't want her to be buried in there, but it looks like I might have been fooling myself all this time. I don't know how long I stared at Elle's picture for on my knees in front of my childhood closet like that. I'm sure it was for much longer than it felt to me, but it was like a flashing lighting in my memory.

God, was she always so…. stunning? What a beautiful creature! I never realized what a work of art she truly was. When we were dating, I didn't think of her that way. But after seeing her picture after all these years…. How could I have been so blind? She's not hot or sexy like a model; no, she's striking in the most picturesque way. She's the kind of woman great artists take inspiration from. She's a painting, a sculpture, a walking, talking masterpiece.

My eyes grew as I suddenly realized….. I'd never thought about anyone like that before; even Elle when we were together. Maybe I didn't have the mental maturity to put into words…. Elle truly was one of a kind; she's so much rarer than one in a million. And the type of person she was….. She's in the novels of "War and Peace" and "Pride and Prejudice". She's the melody of Beethoven's sixth symphony and Vivaldi's "Four Seasons". She's the Mona Lisa's smile, and the roses that bloom in the Versailles gardens. She's the embodiment that makes everything in this world so…. magical.

"Got anything you want to throw out?" My eyes blinked as I was steamrolled back to reality by my mother's voice. She came in with a box labelled "garbage", set it down on my bed, placed her hands on her hips and looked at me. My head turned in her direction; my hand still not letting go of Elle's photo. She took note of this, of course. "What's that?" She stepped over to glance over my shoulder. The picture came into view, making her eyes light up.

"Oh, Elle! That's from in high school, isn't it?" "U-Uh, yeah," my eyes drifted downwards. Mom peered at me with mild confusion. "That thing's really old. You wanna get arid of it, or I can give it to Lee if you don't want…" "No!" My shout rang through the whole room. Mom blinked down at me as if I was crazy, and even I caught myself in total shock. Wait, why did I just say "no" like that? It's just some dumb, old photo. No sense holding onto it….. No sense….. "I'll uh, I'll take care of it," without my brain's permission, my hand pulled out my wallet and shoved the picture inside. Mom watched me curious for a moment longer before returning to the box on my bed.

"Do you ever talk to Elle anymore?" "No….." My eyes lowered. To be completely honest, I'd forgotten all about her until now. Or at least, I thought I did… "She's going to Amsterdam, you know." "Huh?" I blinked over to my mother surprised. "She got accepted into the University of Amsterdam for masters. Isn't that good news? Lee told us last week when he called." Amsterdam…..? That's so far away….. And I had no idea. My eyes fell back to the floor; my hands flattening out onto my jeans. "Yeah, it's great…"

And so, I let it go. I didn't think about Elle since that day. I didn't think her presence was festering in the back of my mind since I never actively considered her. But I guess…. I should have known something was wrong by the way I acted back at Harvard. It all started when my friends asked me to go for drinks with them.

"No, I think I should stay here and finish my work," I replied with a casual grin. They left and I was in my office alone; they made you share with another student at Harvard. I remember the light being off, and it was dark outside. It was November, roughly five months after I went home to pack up my bedroom. The house was on the market now, not that I minded…. It's not like I had a personal attachment to the place or anything.

Sitting in total darkness with the exception of my computer screen, I leaned back into my chair and stared outside the window through the corner of my eye. It was particularly windy out tonight; I'm sure it was going to snow later. Without really thinking about it, I pulled out my phone from my jean's pocket. No new messages- typical. They'd died out somewhat the older I got and when I stopped pursuing relationships all the time. Still, as I'd done several times before, I opened up a brand-new message to no one. My finger began to type: A journey more lonely than anyone can possibly imagine. Plunging head-first into impenetrable darkness, with no semblance of sunlight. A desperate fall through the abyss, hoping fruitlessly to find any secrets of the world. How far should I go in search for those secrets… How far can I go?

My eyes lowered onto my phone's screen. Just like I'd gotten into the habit of recently, I deleted the message right away, and turned off my phone. Then my vision made its way back to the pitch-black window.

When did I start writing messages to no one?

When the weather got nicer, me and some of my few friends began to ride our bikes around the city. Once the school year ended, we decided to go on a trip to the coast. It was fairly average, and we had fun. I had kept the habit up of writing long messages to myself, but I never told anyone. Besides that, I didn't think anything else was going on with me. Of course, life is apt to change when you least expect it- for me, it was when I was riding along California's coastline.

It was hot out that day, but I didn't feel warm. We were riding in a line and I was at the back. My mind was kind of dozy; I lazily rode along, following the others. I had no idea what was about to happen to me- how can you possibly prepare for these sorts of things? While I was cruising, something caught my eye on the beach. It was just for the faintest of seconds, but I saw it. I definitely, unequivocally saw it.

There, standing on the beach, was a young girl- a woman. Her hair was long and brown, flowing in the sea breeze behind her. Her back was turned slightly towards me, but her face was visible enough that I could see her smile; not her eyes. Her one arm was raised to keep her hair in place. She wore a pink t-shirt and jean shorts. I knew…. I knew it couldn't possibly be her, but I knew her. It was so automatic and overpowering. I blinked, tearing my head in her direction. I wanted to see her, but wasn't the least bit surprised when she wasn't actually there. As fast as she came, she vanished under the California sun. She was never really there; how could she be? She was halfway across the world, and for the first time since we broke up, since I last saw her for real…. I realized; I suddenly realized. It hit me like a blinding flash. Needless to say, I almost crashed my bike.

Yeah, I'm an idiot.

I've been trying to move on; I tried so damn hard. I was grasping for something just out of reach, and for the longest time, I didn't even know what it was. I didn't grasp the reason behind these violent feelings, this profound loneliness. Instead, I simply stood by and watched my heart grow numb. I was always in the sun, but it never warmed me up. It wasn't the sun I wanted, I was looking for…. No, my personal sun disappeared years ago, and I hadn't noticed I'd been cold since then. I can't believe it took me this long to realize….

Everywhere I go I look for her- I've always been searching for her, since the day she got back on that plane. In windows and down streets, knowing that she'll never be there…. If I had one wish, it would be to see her one last time. I'd go straight to her, and I'd hold her with all the power I had. I'd stand in her radiant sunshine, letting her warm me up for the first time in years. I'd be so hot, I'd be on fire…. No, I don't think I'll ever stop looking for her- anywhere and everywhere I go, I'm always searching for signs of her. I haven't moved on,

I'd just forgotten how much I loved her.]

"What are you looking at, Noah?" Elle looked from her computer screen to me. We were at her campus library in Seoul, where I was sitting beside her at a two-person table. My chin was resting in the palm of my hand as I continued to watch her. Watch her and remember….. The tenderest of smile drew across my lips. "War and Peace." "Huh?" She blinked confused. "I'm looking at Tolstoy's "War and Peace", and Michelangelo's "Mona Lisa"." "What are you talking about?" She sighed, not in the mood for games. I chuckled to myself, shaking my head gently. "Nothing. Get back to work." With one last look at me, her gaze reverted back to her laptop. I just stared at her, effortlessly so….

[I know Elle doesn't love me now, and a part of me is ok with that. The rest of me wants to scream and rip someone's face off. But there's nothing I can do. Being here in Seoul with her like this; she's already made me feel so warm. What more can I ask of her? After she's already brought me so much happiness…. Now it's my turn to make her feel warm and safe. I don't need to stand beside her to do that, as much as I want to. I'll stand beside Elle again when she's ready for me to, but until that day….

I don't need to stand beside her, so long as I stand near her.]


	24. Having Elle Near

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Elle have their own little heart-to-heart.

"Lee?! Is there any ice cream in the freezer?" I hollered from the laundry room. My best friend was lounging on the couch; Marco was upstairs. "How should I know?" He wasn't helpful at all. "Can you check?" I asked back. He let out a groan. "Why don't you do it after your done with the towels? And what'll you do if there isn't any?" "Ice cream…. Ice cream; ice cream; ice cream!" "God, you're so hopeless. I'm checking; I'm checking," he finally got his lazy butt up off the couch to wander into the kitchen. I heard the freezer door open as I waited with anticipation. "Big shock- there's no ice cream," Lee announced. "Awe, what? No ice cream?" My heart dropped. With a dramatic sigh, he slammed the door shut and marched to grab his coat. "Don't get your panties in a bunch. I'm going to the store- happy?" "Yes," I flashed him a loving smile. Lee….. "I'm bringing my key with me." "Ok. Cookie dough, please!" "I know what you want!" The front door closed behind him. He locked it from the other side then took off.

I finished up with the laundry down here, folded everything, and brought it upstairs. I set the basket down on my bed and set my hands on my hips. My eyes drifted upwards to the ceiling. Marco…. He's not in the bedrooms up here; he must be on a patio on the roof. He went up there alone sometimes. Curious, I put away the articles of clothing and made my way up there. To my surprise, I found him quietly playing guitar on the ledge of the building. His fingers were stringing it in a peaceful manner, and he wore this content on his face. My heart began to flutter a little as I drew up the courage to join him outside.

"Getting some practice in?" Marco's head spun to me, and he grinned. "This is a great place to play the guitar; it's so quiet and calm up here." "I don't want to interrupt you if you want to keep….." "Don't be silly. Get over here," his motioned me forward with his hand. I didn't hesitate to join him, sitting down on the ledge of the patio. My lips let out a long sigh and I looked at him. He began strumming his guitar again in a tender fashion.

"I hear you out here sometimes. You're really good; but then, that's nothing new. You were super good back in high school- talented, I should say." "Thanks. I practice a lot, but I don't perform live shows anymore." "Why not? People love your music," I blinked to him confused. His eyes rolled over to me, letting him pause for a second. "I guess I just lost my passion for it. At some point in undergrad, I realized that I was playing more for others than myself. I much preferred to play quietly alone somewhere like this. My music means a lot to me, you see; it's something precious which I'm reluctant to share, I think….. I want those who I perform in front of to appreciate it as much as I do." I didn't say anything, and Marco suddenly flinched as if he grasped what he just said. Grinning awkwardly, he rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed. "But I know that's not the way the world works. No one will ever feel the same about my music as I do….."

After watching him for some time, my eyes lowered gently. My head tossed back up towards the sky; you couldn't see any stars in it, but one always hoped. My face lightened a little. "That day…. when we first met and went to that café…. You said you've read some of my articles before." "Oh yeah; I remember that." "You wouldn't know it, but no one's ever said that to me before. I could never get anyone besides my supervisor to read anything I've written. Not even Lee, Noah, my brother, or my father- they were never interested. But you…. You're the first to not only think my work isn't boring but actually go out of your way to read it. I didn't say it at the time, but that made me so insanely happy….. like someone could see value in my work. It made me so happy…. I finally got something I wanted for so long, after completing two theses and countless other papers…." "Elle," Macro's eyes were locked onto me.

A smile crept across my lips and I turned my head in such a way so to face him. "I know what it's like to pour your heart and soul into something. To spend god knows how many hours honing your craft, and to get so emotionally attached to the end product. To protect your work, baby it… and want to see others admire it. But no one besides a select few have no idea what's really gone into it or how hard you worked. I get wanting to do it for yourself because you know others won't appreciate it as much as you do…. And you tell yourself that you're fine with nobody knowing this really precious, important thing you have. But when someone finally does notice and likes what you've done…. It can feel so damn good, and you suddenly realize how worth it it all was."

"Elle…" A speechless Marco could only gawk at me. I stared at him for another moment before glancing back up to the black of the sky high above us. My eyes lowered again very, very softly. Yeah, I know that feeling…. I know what that's like.

It was my turn to blink in surprise when all of a sudden, the sound of a guitar filled the night air around us. I looked and found Marco beginning to play his instrument again. His music was soft and soulful, like the melody was a rainbow you can actually see. Each note added this story he was telling, and it grew into this big, beautiful mass. It was so relaxing, like the kind of music you could put on while laying down in a meadow under a cloudless bright blue sky. My eyes gently shut as I drew in a long, profound breath. I could listen it forever…..

After five minutes or so, Marco stopped playing and looked at me. He looked at me, and I him; our stares softened onto each other. "That was beautiful, Marco….." "Did you appreciate that?" "Yes….. oh, yes." "Then we're even," he smiled. Oh my god, his smile just now….. How is it I can feel so comfortable around someone- so at home- and they still manage to stop my heart when they smile that way? I don't….. "Elle. Just try; let yourself learn to love again." I don't understand.

"Marco, can you….. Can you play some more for me? I love the way you play….." "Elle," Marco's eyes shown down upon me. Instead of placing his hand back onto his guitar, he reached over to grab mine. I flinched and blushed at the same time, glancing down to our clasped hands. His gave me a squeeze. "I'm just….."

Before Marco could finish what he was saying, the front door swung open downstairs. "I'm home! Elle?! Marco?! Get your butts down here! The ice cream's melting!" Lee's voice echoed from the bottom floor. "Ice cream?" Marco blinked perplexed. "Oh, he went to fetch me some ice cream," I explained. "What? I could have gone if you wanted some," Marco told me, making me smile. I can never stop smiling when I'm with him…. "Oh, that's alright. Lee offered- well sorta. Anyway! Now we have ice cream. Come on, let's go get some." Still holding onto his hand, I urged him to stand up. But he stopped me for a moment, refusing to let me go.

"Elle, what I was going to say was….. that I'm just happy to hear it." "Hear what?" I asked puzzled. "You've just never opened up and talked to me like that before, and well….. I'm happy you feel like you can. I want you to feel comfortable around me." "But Marco, I already do. Being with you…. it's like the most easiest thing in the world," I was still confused. This comment seemed to please him as he stood up, still holding my hand in his. He smiled at me and we began to walk side-by-side towards the door.

"I'm really, really happy to hear that, Elle." I laughed, still confused what he was talking about but happy, nonetheless. "Well at least you know you're not alone," my mouth replied. I felt Marco give my hand yet another tender squeeze. We were nearing the door; the evening breeze blowing through both our hair, swaying it beside us. Marco smiled- he smiled so sincerely. "It's true; I'm not alone, am I?

Somehow without my ever noticing it, it felt so natural, having you near."


	25. One More Makes Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah shows up one night at Elle's house.

Marco, Lee, and I were tightly snuggled into the couch, with me in the middle as per usual. I was wrapped up in a blanket, wearing it over my head like a hood. We were watching the Korean version of The Strangers, which is like a thousand times scarier. Asian movies were always scarier than their Western counterparts. The tone of the film set us on all edge; it didn't help that the lights were all off and it was late at night.

'Where is he?!' 'Who are you talking about?' 'The man outside! You mean he's not out there anymore?!' The characters cried in Korean; we watched with subtitles. Lee pressed up into my side terrified. "Holy shit, man! He's in the house!" My best friend gasped. "No! Don't go around back! Don't! No!" I called out to the screen in a scared whisper. The girl on the tv heard a thumb in the backyard and placed her hand on the doorknob. "No!" We all gulped on the edge of our seats.

I can't tell you how high we all jumped at the sudden and quite inexplicable banging at our front door. Of course this was going to set off alarm bells; it was late out and we weren't expecting anyone. All our heads darted to the door- the fear was palpable. None of us dared make a sound for a minute, waiting for another knock. It came seconds later, making me shiver. My hand instinctually reached out for Marco's arm, which I clung to. Our eyes didn't leave the wood of the door, until I finally peered to Marco's alert face.

"Marco…." I whispered frightened. The knocking persisted, worrying all of us. I'm sure it wouldn't be this scary if we hadn't been watching a home invasion movie which began with a serial killer knocking on the protagonist's front door. After waiting another moment, Marco hesitantly stood up. My eyes widened in fear. "Marco!" My tone was more frantic but still a murmur. He didn't remove his eyes off our door. "Lee, stay with Elle," he said before silently stepping over to it. He put his hand on the handle and I want to tear him away from there. What if it was a murder?! What if he stabbed Marco?! We should just stay put and call the police. Paralyzing fear for Marco suddenly filled my entire being. I was about to scream out for him to get away from the door when he unlocked and flung it open. Lee and I shrieked simultaneously, throwing our arms around each other and shutting our eyes. What happened next was not what any of us were anticipating.

"Took you long enough. What are you guys screaming about?" Lee's and my eyes shot open to see a baffled Noah standing under the threshold. Even Marco looked relieved, taking a few deep breathes. "Noah, it's you…" He exhaled. "Who were you expecting?" Noah's eyebrow raised up. "We were uh….. um, no one. What are you doing here?" Marco shut the door, being sure to lock it. "I see none of you read my texts. Big surprise- you haven't been answering your phones either," Noah huffed, planting one hand on his hip. "Our phones? Oh! Yeah, we keep them upstairs during movie nights. Sorry about that, bro," Lee scratched the side of his cheek.

Noah rolled his eyes, clearly not impressed by this. "Well, if you did check your phones, you'd see I've been trying to get a hold of you for some time. A pipe in my place broke," he went on to explain. "Tonight?" My eyes grew. He nodded. "I had to leave for the night; they shut the place down until they can fix the plumbing." "And?" Lee lifted his eyebrow suspiciously. "I need somewhere to sleep tonight," his brother cut right to the chase.

"Of course you can stay here." "Absolutely not," Lee and I responded at the same time, only to look at each other bewildered. "What, Elle? This place isn't big enough for four people; we're already crawling on top of one another as is." "But he's your brother, Lee, and our friend. We can't just kick him out," I swiftly retorted, causing Lee to groan exasperated. "There's nowhere for him to sleep. Marco's already got the couch." "Can't you share your room?" I frowned, folding my arms. Lee wore a face of disgust. "What?! Ew, gross! I haven't had to share a room with my brother since I was five." "Lee, be reasonable. He has nowhere else to go." "That's not true. Seoul's full of hotels."

Here is where Noah stepped back in, raising his hand up into the air. "Listen, you guys don't need to go out of your way for me. I can sleep on the floor." "Oh, Noah; we wouldn't make you do that," I countered kindly. "Why not? There's only two beds and one couch," Lee butt in again. I fired him an annoyed glare. "You're not helping, Lee!" "You have a rooftop patio, don't you? I can just crash there," Noah rubbed the back of his head. "How?" Marco asked, quiet until now. Noah's head spun to him, though not with animosity. "Eh, I'll set up a tent or something. A sleeping bag would work."

This is when I'd had enough. "Noah, you're not going to sleep outside on our patio. You didn't come all the way to Seoul for that." "Why not, Elle? If he wants to sleep outside in a tent, I say let him. Beats sleeping on the floor indoors, if you ask me," Lee stretched his arms above him. No one did ask you, I shot him another sharp look. But Noah's eyes softened onto me. "Lee's right, Elle. I don't mind. It's a really nice night out too." "But Noah…" I couldn't help but feel bad. I mean, he flew from across the world to have a vacation, which likely didn't include sleeping in a tent on your ex's rooftop patio on the itinerary. The least we could was try to make the situation as comfortable as we could for him. Sensing my distress, Noah flashed me a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, babe; I'm ok with this- really. If worst comes to worst, I end up sleeping a tent for a couple of days- that's all." "But Noah, wouldn't you prefer to go to a hotel? You'd have a bed there," I argued, still not happy with the whole idea. But he merely shook his head before his smile returned to me. "At least this way I'm closer to you guys. I'd rather stay here, if I'm being honest." "I don't know….." I hesitated. "What do you think?" For the first time, Noah asked Marco's opinion on the matter. Marco didn't look at Noah or Lee; he kept his eyes on me.

"The decision is up to you, Elle." "Huh?" My eyes widened a little. "This is your apartment- you ultimately decide who gets to stay here. We'll support whatever you choose." "We will?" Lee blinked to him surprised. "Yes, we will," Marco sent him a mild warning glare. "Dude, when'd you become so soft?" Noah spat, like this was supposed to be an insult. But I lifted my hand up to my chest as I thought it over for a moment. My eyes eventually went to rest back on Noah.

"Are you really…. ok with this, Noah? I don't mind helping you find a room somewhere else if that's what you'd prefer." Noah's gaze locked onto mine; his eyes lowering a sliver. His lips drew into a short, sweet smile. "Nah, that's ok. I'll be fine here tonight. Thanks though, Elle…." Noah…. Content with that, I stood up, keeping the blanket all wrapped around me. I smiled at him, then at Marco. "Alright then.

I'll find you some extra pillows and blankets."


	26. On The Rooftop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle helps Noah set up his tent on her roof.

"Good thing Mrs. Kim next door had a tent we could borrow," I was watching and trying- poorly- to help Noah set it up on the patio. All the light we had was from the little decorative lights, and they didn't emit much. Noah swore under his breath as he tried to collect the polls for what felt like the millionth time. I was beginning to feel bad for him; he'd been working at it for an hour or so.

"You know, we could get Lee out here to come help," I finally suggested when Noah looked like he was about to blow a gasket. "Ha! No; he'd only make things harder. Hand me those pliers over there." I did as I was told, handing the pliers over to where Noah was kneeling on the ground. Then I brought my hand back to underneath my chin and sighed. "You could just sleep on the floor of Lee's bedroom tonight; set up the tent tomorrow morning. It'd be lighter out then….." Noah's lip let out a loud, irritated huff. "Listen, Elle. We agreed to me staying here on the terms that I sleep out here- otherwise Lee will never let me hear the end of it. So would you just be quiet and let me do this?" Stubborn as ever; why am I not surprised? "Alright, if you say so," I sighed again, leaning into my palms. It was late out, and I was getting sleepy.

Noah must have noticed my actually growing quiet- just like he asked, I might add- and paused to check over his shoulder at me. I was staring up at the night sky wistfully, not really thinking about anything right then. Or that was until a chilly breeze brushed over the rooftop, catching me off guard. I gave a tiny shiver and sneezed into my folded hands. Noah sighed yet again and got up. "Lee's right- you really are hopeless," I blinked as the sensation of his jacket draping over top of my shoulders overcame me. Once he made sure I was all snug, he went back to his poor excuse of a tent. Meanwhile I watched him slightly ajar. "T-Thank you, Noah…."

"This is a nice place you got here, even if it is a little crowded," Noah eventually broke the quiet again. "You like it? So do I. I've loved it since I first saw it, and it's even better now with roommates." "Well, it's a good thing you don't mind them, anyway. Me though, I'm kinda glad I got my own space out here- even if it is in a tent." "You used to love camping as a kid. Just think of it as adult Korean-camping," I grinned playfully. He did not. "Yeah, keyword: used to." My fingers twirled together in a thoughtful manner. "We only have one bathroom. We're gonna have to think of a bathroom schedule." "We're adults, Elle. I think we can handle it." "And we're gonna have to redo the food budget. With four people, we might to afford meat more than once a week…" "You make working super easy, Elle," Noah remarked sarcastically, though he wasn't frowning.

A relaxing quiet fell over us again until Marco appeared at the door. He was carrying two mugs in his hands. "How's it going out here? Still a broken mess?" "If it were, you wouldn't be helping, would you?" I grinned at him. "Lee and I are still airing out the spare blankets; they should be ready in an hour or so. In the meantime, I made you two some hot chocolate." "Thanks, Marco," still grinning ear-to-ear, I took one mug from him. He placed Noah's cup down onto the ground beside where he was sitting. "Yeah, thanks, man," Noah told him. He nodded and straightened his back up, spinning his feet so to face me. I glanced down into my mug and grinned even more, if that were possible. "Awe, you put extra marshmallows in mine!" "I know how you like it. You getting tired, Elle? I can stay here with Noah if you want to go inside," Marco offered. I gently shook my head. "I'm alright. We'll try to keep it down though, in case you want to go to sleep." "Eh, I won't be going to bed for a while; not until Lee's in his room anyway. But don't worry about me. Is there anything else you guys need?" "Not that I can think of. Noah?" I pondered to him. He shook his head. "Nah, I'm all good." "Ok then. In that case, I'll go back inside and help Lee with the blankets." "Thanks, Marco," I flashed him one last grin, then he disappeared back inside. Little did I know that Noah had been watching the two of us through the corner of his eye the whole time. Marco left and Noah grabbed the pliers again.

"You two seem awfully chummy," Noah's comment made my head turn. "Huh? Me and Marco?" I blinked perplexed. His eyes dashed around to meet mine. "You haven't noticed?" "N-No, I guess I haven't….." I answered back truthfully. I knew Marco and I felt insanely comfortable around each other, but I'm not sure when that started. It just sorta happened….. without my realizing. My lips parted a sliver. ["Somehow without my ever noticing it, it felt so natural, having you near."]

"Hey, Noah? Can I ask you a question?" "Yeah. What is it?" His back straightened up a little; his head full-on facing me now. "Don't make fun of me, but…. How can you tell if you like someone?" Noah's response was to nearly fall to the ground. "What?! How can you even ask me that?! You're a twenty-six-year-old woman!" "Hey! It's not my fault! I haven't had a crush in seven years! I guess I've forgotten what it's like to have one…. over the years." Noah eyed me for a moment before letting out a loud huff.

"You haven't forgotten what it's like to have a crush on someone. You just don't want to admit to yourself that you may like somebody again. You're still on guard, Elle." My eyes shot over to him annoyed. "Well, of course I am! It's not something I can just turn off." "Well, you're gonna need to learn to, otherwise what kind of sad, lonely life are you gonna have?" He's right… Maybe the reason my walls are still up is because I'm still scared to get hurt again. But for the first time in seven years I'm willing to admit that someone makes my heart race like no tomorrow. But…. Does that mean that I like him? Nugh! How can I be a PhD candidate and ask all these middle school girl questions?! What's wrong with this picture?! My hands rubbed the side of my head in agony, which Noah noticed.

"You're right, Noah; I know you're right…. It's just… I'm so confused. I've been confused for a while now, I guess. I have all these conflicting feelings welling up inside of me. Even if I did like someone, what would be the point in it? I'm moving back to Edinburgh in less than six months….." Again, Noah watched me for another second. Then he sighed setting down his tools and coming over to sit beside me on the ledge. I noticed how close to me he was sitting…. He sighed yet again and looked at me.

"Do you remember back at the start of your junior year of high school? You tried so hard to convince yourself that you didn't have a crush on me." "Heh, oh yeah; I remember that," my eyes scrolled down to my lap reminiscently. "And look how well that turned out? You can't control who you do and do not like, Elle. Even if it your ex…" "But I'm just afraid to….." I started until Noah cut me off. "What did I tell you about being afraid? You don't need to be afraid anymore; you got me here, after all." "Noah!" My eyes widened, and he immediately caught himself. "Us! I meant us; you know- me, Lee….. and Marco." Marco, my lips parted.

"But I am moving back to Edinburgh. There's nothing I can do about that." "No, there's not. But the time in between now and then belongs to you too. It's ok for you to cherish it." Cherish it… Hey, wait! That sounds so familiar….. Noah continued to look at me and I eventually met his stare. We watched each other for a brief, quiet moment. It was Noah's turn for his lips to part first.

"Is there…. someone you like? Someone in this house?" "Noah, I…..!" My blood froze. My sentence was interrupted by Noah gently shaking his head. "No, you don't need to say it. You're still getting used to everything; you can take your time." "But what if…. someone in this house likes me too? How would I know then?"

Noah watched me for a long time; a simple grin blooming across his thick lips when he was ready. I blinked surprised when his hand reached down to rest overtop of mine. "Noah, what are you…..?" "Oh, I think you'd know, Elle. You're a pretty smart girl." "How would you know? You'd ever read any of my work," I frowned, but Noah chuckled. I felt his hand give mine a squeeze. "Well, maybe I am giving you too much credit. You had no idea that I liked you back in high school." Or that Marco did as well…. My eyes grew. I have such a bad track record when it comes to knowing which guys like me…. Noah chuckled to himself more, shutting his eyes and leaning in towards me. I blushed wildly when his forehead pressed up against mine. N-Noah! Why is he getting so close to me? I don't understand! But he just breathed- he breathed so contently. "This is good.

I almost forgot how much I liked having you this close to me."


	27. Those Awkward Moments In Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle gets caught up in an office party.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to your department party? I can come join you if you'd be more comfortable." "Thanks, Marco, but I'd rather just go home with you." "You positive? I don't mind chilling in the library for a couple of hours. I won't leave campus without you." Awe, I grinned, clenching my phone in my hand. "No, you don't have to do that. Let's just go home as planned. Besides, Noah's gonna meet you outside your building in ten minutes." "Oh, right; crap. I forgot he was coming. Gotta hurry up and finish here." "Heh, you do that. I'll see you downstairs soon." "Alright, so long as you're sure Elle….." "I'm sure! Now hurry!" "Ok, I will! Be there in a couple of minutes." "Good. Bye." "Bye." Click!

I put my phone into my coat pocket and hurried to pack up all my stuff in my office. Today was the department's party; they had one every few months or so. I didn't mind them in Amsterdam or Edinburgh, but the culture in Korea was so different. I was one of the only foreigners in my building and while I could speak the language fairly well, I still wasn't fluent. It was awkward, particularly because a large part of Korean office parties both in academia and outside involved a lot of drinking. My sobriety only made things more uncomfortable, and not just for me. No, I'd much rather go home and spend the night with Lee, Marco, and Noah.

Settling on this plan, I tossed on my backpack, closed up my office, and headed for the elevator. The floor was fairly quiet since everyone was already downstairs on the main level. I inwardly cringed at the idea of trying to sneak past everybody. I didn't want to go to the party, but I didn't want to come off as rude or anti-social either. The elevator dinged and I sucked in a long breath. Ok, Elle; you can do this. These are your colleagues and friends; they don't want it to be awkward either. Just head for the door, saying hi to anyone who might see you. Yeah, ok- I got this. I got this!

I so did not have this.

The elevators doors opened, and I felt my stomach drop on out of me. Crowded! The entire floor was chalked full of people. Everyone was talking, laughing, and generally having a good time. It took me a painfully long second to come up with the courage to step into the room- it was like the black sheep entering the party. Luckily, for the first few steps, no one paid attention to me. But of course, good things can't last indefinitely. I groaned inside my mind at the sound of my name being called out.

"Evans! Hey, Evans!" "Hi, Song-yi," realizing I was snagged, I relented and wandered over to where she was standing. Song-yi was this pretty girl whose office was one floor above mine. We met during orientation week and stayed casual friends ever since. It wasn't her I was anxious about, but she stood with a group of other girls- some I'd seen around the department and others I'd never met before. The majority grinned pleasantly at my arrival. "This is Evans Shelley. She's the exchange student on floor seven," she explained to the group in Korean; our whole conversation took place in Korean. "Oh yeah! The American who's living in England, right?" One girl- I didn't know her name- addressed me. "Uh, Scotland," I shyly corrected. "Right. And you're working with Professor Oh?" "Yes, he's temporarily supervising me while I'm here." "Wow," a few of them exclaimed. "I've always wanted to go to the UK. Do you miss it?" "A little, but I love living in Seoul," I grinned. This seemed to please them, all nodding amongst themselves. "How do you like the department? It must be really different than what you're used to," a lady named Ga-rin inquired. "Oh, no! I love our department. It was a bit of a cultural, but it's been like that everywhere. No, I really like it here; I'm glad I came for a year-long exchange." "Well, we're glad you did too," Song-yi smiled- a genuine smile. This made me mirror her expression…. for about four seconds. "Glad you did what?" I don't think I could have internally winced harder. No... Please god, no; anything but this.

"Oh, hi, Ji-yoon. Glad you could make it," Song-yi greeted her with a kind tone. We all looked, including me, to Ji-yoon coming over to us. Her made eye contact with everyone present before stopping on my stare. There was this hidden smirk to her mild greeting grin; she knew she'd caught me here. She knew I wouldn't bring up the books here; not with everyone around us like this. She could be cordial to me, knowing there's not a damn thing I could do about it. And she revelled it in. I had to physically force my grin to remain when she came to stand beside me. Her stare stayed on me through the corner of her eyes.

"I must say, I'm surprised to see you down here, Evans. Doesn't your boyfriend usually come pick you up around this time?" My heart skipped a beat; my cheeks sizzled a bright pink. The other girls all perked up enthusiastically at this. "You have a boyfriend?!" "H-He's not my boyfriend!" I tried my best to wave it off acting all innocent. You never get outright confrontational in Korea- well, unless you're Noah. Knowing she had me now, Ji-yoon's grin grew sourly. "He's always dropping her off and picking her up. It's super adorable." "Awe, Evans! Why didn't you tell us?" Ga-rin squealed excitedly. They have a thing with shipping people here. I let another inward moan ring through me. Great, now I'll never convince them that I don't have a boyfriend. Just perfect.

Ji-yoon only added fuel to the fire. "Don't be so shy, Evans. He's really cute." "You've seen him, Ji-yoon?" A girl I didn't know asked her curious. She nodded proudly. "He's not Korean." "Oh! Is he American too, then? Or is he from the UK?" Ga-rin questioned me. I blinked, very uncomfortable right now. "He's uh, American…." "Awe! So did he come here to be with you? That's so romantic!" "No! He um... he's on exchange too." "Honestly, there's no reason to be so bashful, Evans. Lots of people our age are in relationships," Ji-yoon flashed me this sickeningly sweet smile- an evil smile. I felt a drop of sweat roll down the back of my neck. God, what I would give to get the hell outta of here now. By Monday, everyone in my department is going to think I have a boyfriend. This is a nightmare!

I think Song-yi was about to say something about all this until a man interrupted us. He was carrying a tray of bottled drinks. "Can I interest you ladies in a drink?" "Sure." "Thanks." "Thank you." "Thanks, Han," practically all of them took a bottle- all except for me. Of course all eyes were on me puzzled by my silent refusal to join them. "What's wrong, Evans? Not thirsty?" Song-yi asked me, a mild concern to her voice. I think she knew has this looked as well as I did. I clasped my hands in front of me, wanting the floor to open up and swallow me whole. "Oh no! I'm just uh…. leaving soon," I couldn't look in her eyes while answering. This was utterly horrible. Everyone looked surprised.

"What? You're leaving?" "Is your boyfriend picking you up?" "You should at least have one drink with us before you go." "No! N-No, thank you…. I don't drink." You'd think I said I shot someone. "You…. don't drink? You're over twenty-one, aren't you?" One girl inquired. "She looks old enough to drink," the man holding the tray unhelpfully added. "You can't have one drink with the members of your department?" Ji-yoon remarked clearly unimpressed. Secretly, I knew she was loving watching me squirm like this. My cheeks burned an even brighter shade of red as I shook my head. It was Song-yi who saw the distress I was in and came to my rescue.

"Oh, that's ok, Evans. Everyone has a different diet. Maybe next time you'll come drink with us." "Yeah, sure," I gave her a grateful grin, which I'm sure she understood. Like some light at the end of the tunnel was showing itself, that's when I spotted Marco and Noah through the lobby window. My heart leapt for joy. I sent everyone a goodbye smile. "I've got to go now. We'll catch up on Monday, ok?" My hand waved as I was about to turn around. Surprisingly- although perhaps not so- Ji-yoon was the one who stopped me. She grabbed my wrist and smiled that devilish smile of hers.

"You should at least take a bottle for the road." "Oh, no! That's fine. Thank you, though," always gotta say "thank you" here. But Ji-yoon didn't release me. Instead she thrusted a bottle into my hand. "Here, take my cider. I've already opened the bottle but haven't had a sip yet. Take it, so you don't leave empty-handed," she practically thrusted this soda bottle into my hand. It was one I didn't recognize since I don't drink much- if any- pop at home. Reading my face as I scanned it over, she widened her grin. "It's a non-alcoholic soda," Ji-yoon stated. The other girls seemed impressed by her "generosity".

"Awe, that was really nice of you, Ji-yoon," one girl cooed. "Now Evans will have something for the way home," Ga-rin tacked on. The rest of the girls nodded their heads approvingly, including Song-yi. She bought into Ji-yoon's BS just like everyone else. It's not her fault; Ji-yoon has a way of making herself look like an angel. Her stunning beauty didn't help matters either. That's why everyone looked badly upon me when I hesitated to accept the drink. The guy even scoffed. "What? Don't appreciate good hospitality?" He spat. I knew what that was code for: look at the ungrateful foreigner who wouldn't know what manners looked like if they smacked her in the face. Seeing that there was no way for me to win here, I decided to play the game and go along with it. I snatched my arm back from Ji-yoon and gave her the sickest, most patronizing grin. "Thank you, Ji-yoon. That was really kind of you and I appreciate it. I'll see everyone on Monday." "Bye, Evans. Have a good weekend," they waved at me as I took off. Noah and Marco were outside, looking in slightly confused. Their eyes fell onto me coming through the sliding lobby door. All semblance of a grin was vanished from my lips now and I looked a wreck.

"What was that all about, Elle? Those girls friends of yours or…?" Noah scratched the back of his neck, confused and slightly concerned. I did not seem happy at the moment. Marco eyes moved from me back to the group; they enlarged after a second. "Hey, wait… Isn't that…..?" He didn't finish but he didn't have to. I silently nodded, not looking at either of them at the moment. But I could sense Marco's face darken from here. His eyes narrowed; his mouth drifted to this predominant frown. Noah blinked surprised when all of a sudden Marco reached down to take my hand. "We are leaving," he said with anger and finality. "Hey, Marco? What's wrong? Hey, wait a minute!" The stunned Noah followed after us as Marco led me away from my building by the hand. He didn't stop dragging me until we were in the underground train station, but even that didn't feel far enough. Nugh…..

If I never seen that Ji-yoon, it'll be too soon.


	28. On That Drunken Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lee and Elle get unintentionally drunk.

"Seriously? What's that girl's problem? Why's she got to be a total bitch to you?" Lee growled enraged. He and I were sitting on the couch, with me leaning up against him; we were wrapped in blankets with hot tea in our laps. Noah was plunked down on the chair and Marco was leaning up against the living room wall with his arms crossed. The mood was…. angry, to say the least; angry and sad on my end.

Noah's head shook disgusted. "So let me get this straight? She won't let you have these books you put on reserve before you came to Seoul? Is that it?" My head bobbed up and down. He watched me for a moment. "And did you…. contact anyone at the university about this?" "There'd be no point. She said her supervisor would reserve them for her. She's already got them….." My forefinger twitched on my mug. Noah and Marco gave each other a look. Lee huffed for what felt like the hundredth time that night; I snuggled in closer to him.

"Nugh, this is so stupid. Isn't there anything we can do?" "It's ok, Lee. We'll get the books in Busan. Elle and I have already checked their library catalogue; they have them available," Marco said. I blinked up at him surprised. He actually double-checked their site for me? Awe. That's so incredibly sweet, and I didn't even know…. My watching Marco distracted me from the confused and mildly excited expression on the Flynn brothers' faces. Lee's eyes lit up.

"Oh, that's right! I almost forgot; we're going to Busan!" "You're coming with us, Lee?" My eyes rolled over to him startled. I mean, I never said he couldn't come; I just didn't think he'd be interested in joining us. But Lee's smile said it all. "Course I am! I've never been to Busan before; it'll be fun!" "It's going to be a daytrip to the university. It's not a vacation," Marco felt the need to clarify. I admit I had to peer back at him, still slightly astonished. I know he said "it looks like we're going to Busan" before, but he hasn't actually confirmed he's coming with me until well, now. Then again, I never questioned whether or not he was coming along…. I guess I unconsciously, automatically assumed he would….. I mean, who else would I go to Busan with? Well, except for Lee…. But looking back, I never even asked him to.

Noah also was taken aback by this. "Wait, you're going too?" He pointed at Marco. Marco's eyes locked with his, but only momentarily. "Course I'm going. Elle's not going to Busan by herself." "Why not? She's been all around Europe on her own before. You were stocked multiple times there, weren't you, Elle?" "Shut it, Lee!" It's true, I was stocked more times than I can count on both hands, but they don't need to know that! He makes it sound a lot worse than it was…. if that doesn't make me sound too bad myself.

Too late. Both Marco and Noah had looks of horror scrawled over their faces. Great, thanks Lee; I inwardly rolled my eyes, preparing for what would happen next. Noah was the first to stand up straight. "You were stocked?! What…?! Was this like a weekly occurrence?" He demanded, his hands bunching into fists. Oh my god…. "No! Well, actually…. kinda. But nothing happened! Oh my god; it wasn't a big deal." "Sure sounds like a big deal," Lee muttered, being no help whatsoever. Noah's eyes grew evermore serious and protective.

"How can you be so calm about this, Elle? It's no wonder you didn't mind staying alone in your department building that night." "Come on, Flynn. How could she have known that guy was there?" Marco came to my defence. But Noah was having none of it, shooting him a look. "You're ok with that?" "Of course not. That's why I'm going to Busan with her." "That's one of the reasons I'm going, but I also wanna see the city and take a Korean train," Lee threw in his two cents while grinning. Noah turned to him, then back to me. Our eyes met for a moment before he let out a sigh. "Then I guess I'll be going too, since it turns out everyone else is going," he rubbed the back of his neck. "Are you sure, Noah? It might be boring," I said. "Yeah. We're going to a university library which will probably eat up a good chunk of the trip," Marco added. Noah shrugged his shoulder casually. "It'll give me a chance to see another Korean campus. Plus the trip there and back should be interesting." Noah…. My eyes settled onto him.

Lee clapped his hands together. "Good! Now that we've got that figured out, let's party!" "We didn't buy any booze," I didn't mean to rain on his parade, but Lee just waved his hand dismissively at me. "Ah, we can party without alcohol. Besides you don't drink." "What's that bottle Ji-yoon gave you, Elle?" Marco motioned to my backpack. I perked up, glancing at it rememberingly. "Oh, she gave me a pop before I left the office party. It's a Korean drink called cider. I've never heard of it before tonight." "Didn't you tell her you don't drink?" Noah's head spun my way puzzled. "I did. She said it's non-alcoholic; like a soda." "Do you see the word "alcohol" anywhere on the label?" Marco asked me while scanning over the bottle; I was the best at reading Korean amongst all of us. I shook my head. That was all it seemed Lee needed. He gleefully snatched the bottle from Marco's hand and removed its lid.

"Let's give it a try. I haven't had much Korean pop yet." "I don't know, Lee," I hesitated for some reason. I knew it wasn't alcoholic, but still Ji-yoon gave it to me. Then again, she did so in front of all our colleagues, so I doubt it's suspicious or anything. "What's there to know? She was going to drink this; it's not drugged, Elle," with that, Lee took a swill of the beverage. We all waited to hear his reaction to the drink. Lee wiped his mouth and had this look of satisfaction on his face. "It's good. It tastes like really sweet cider. Here, Elle; you try some," Lee handed me the bottle. I sniffed it before giving it a testing taste. My eyes lit up a bit. "That is good!" It had a bit of bite to it, but I thought that was just the cider's natural flavour. Now happy in my choice to try it, I held the bottle up for Marco to take. He respectfully declined with a grin. "If you like it, Elle, you should drink it. It's yours, after all." Noah wasn't so quick to deny a taste, but he left the rest of the bottle for me and Lee.

Turns out that was a big mistake.

One hour later- one hour, that's all it took. And oh, boy; let me tell you. That bottle clearly wasn't just soda, and while we weren't drugged, it was clear something else was going. What I am about to describe did happen, but neither Lee nor me have no memory of the following events.

"F is for friends who do stuff together!" "U is for you and me!" "N is for anywhere and anytime at all, down here in the deep blue sea!" Lee and I burst out in a laughing fit like the two idiots we were. A dumbfounded Marco and Noah were sitting on the rooftop beside Noah's tent, watching us speechless. Over the past hour, Lee's and my behaviour had grown progressively….. stupider. Somehow it came into my head to sing songs from our childhood, which Lee thought was the best idea in the world. "Oh, I love that song!" Lee shouted in his happy stupor. "Me too!" My hands waved up above me excitedly. Noah and Marco quietly glanced at each other with concerned expressions.

"You know something? I always wanted Squidward as a neighbour. Hehe, I think it would- hic- be fun to play with him!" I couldn't stop giggling. "Then that would make me Patrick, and you'd be SpongeBob!" Lee pointed his forefinger at me. "Yay! I get to live in a pineapple under the sea!" "Hey, wait; that means I get- hic- to live under a rock! That's not fair!" Lee cried dramatically, like this was some serious conversation. "Then just move in with Squidward. I'm sure he'd love that!" Once again, my hands flung up into the air with excitement. "Oh, you're right! We'd be the best roommates ever!" Lee tried- and failed- to snap his fingers together. "Yay!"

Noah scratched the back of his neck, a bit lost on what to do. "So… they're drunk," he stated matter-of-factly. "How can that be? They haven't had any….. oh, wait," Marco picked up the now empty cider bottle. He sniffed it and looked confused. "It didn't smell like booze." They considered for a moment before Noah straightened up. "What was that drink Lee mentioned in the restaurant? Sogo or Soju?" "Soju?" "Yeah, that. What does that taste like?" "Well, I've never tried it before, but from what I've heard, it tastes like vodka with a sweet aftertaste." It didn't take long for it to click in both their brains simultaneously. Their eyes drifted back to Lee and me in dismay. "Now it all makes sense….." "At least she's not taking off her clothes this time," Noah leaned back in his seat, rubbing his hand over his eyes exasperatedly.

"What song- hic- should we sing next?" I asked, rolled around quite merrily on the bench I was sitting on. "There Are No Cats In America," Lee proposed. "But there are cats in America. Who wrote that song?!" "Bob Dylan," my best friend answered. "Don Bluth," Noah sighed. "What'd you call me?" Lee suddenly demanded of his brother, all upset now. Noah let out a huff, not wanting to get mad at his drunk younger brother or ex. "The director of the movie that song's from. An American Tail, remember?" "It's not An American Tail- it's Mouse Trap. Everyone knows that," Lee slurred, making Noah roll his eyes for what felt like the millionth time that night.

"How are you feeling, Elle?" Macro asked me. "Me? I'm feeling great! I'm on top of the world!" Both arms flew high into the air; I did that a lot tonight. "Not feeling nauseous?" "Nope! Not even- hic- a little bit!" "Good. Has she always been this much of a light weight?" Marco inquired to Noah, who responded with a grin. "You have no idea."

Yet again, I clasped my hands together and stretched them up high. While staring up at the night sky, a brilliant smile erupted across my lips. "Look at the moon; look how glorious it is!" Everyone looked up and I carried on, still grinning the whole time. "Ah, I love- hic- I love being in Asia! I love Asian philosophy so much. It's always made so much sense to me." "What kind of sense, Elle?" Lee hiccupped while asking me. "Yin and yang; the balance of everything. Heh, I- hic- I've never told anyone this before, but I read the Tao Te Ching once a year." "You do?" Marco blinked in surprise. I nodded eagerly.

"What about- hic- that other book you were gushing to me about? Back- hic- in masters; the one about love?" Lee was still watching the sky entranced. "The Sorrows Of Young Werther? Oh man, I love that book too! Napoleon's too- he read it over seven times, you- hic- know." "What's that book about?" Noah questioned kindly. My grin grew bigger, if that were possible. "It's about this young guy who falls in love with this engaged girl somewhere in Germany." "That's not the way you described it to me, Elle!" Lee interjected. "Oh, alright; how about this?"

I cleared my throat for my drunken monologue. "A man sees this lady, whose inaccessible virtues more and more shine forth and flourish each day. And for that entire love, did it stem from that sacred night when she first beheld unto him. He tried not to look at her, as if she were the sun. And yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking…." A moment of silence followed this. It was Noah who broke the thoughtful quiet by gazing in my direction. "Sounds like you know what that feels like." "Oh, I do! For me, it happened when one day I was with him…. I wanted to go- hic- and take him by the hand; hold his hand and stay with him just like that forever." A pregnant pause. "I felt that way after he smiled at me that one time. Heh, he never used to smile much…. Then one night I turned around suddenly and caught him looking at me…. and he was smiling then. And I felt… it's almost impossible to describe. It's like I was given the most enormous, beautiful present." Another long pause. "Who are you talking about, Elle?" Lee finally inquired. I burst out into a giggling fit, hiding my face in my hands. "It's a secret! It's a secret!"

Little did I know; I was oblivious to the fact that the mood was very tense and intimate around me. All I felt was bubbly and light, not realizing I just poured my heart out in a sea of poetic word vomit. And I'm sure all men present were very, very interested in who I was referring to. Lee managed to successfully snap his fingers this time.

"I knew it! You do like someone!" "Tehe, maybe," I nibbed my forefinger a bit. Noah and Marco were very invested in the conversation now. "Maybe! That's the same as a "yes"! Elle's got a crush on someone! Does that mean you'll start dating soon?" "He doesn't even know I like him, Lee. We- hic- didn't part well before." Oh boy, those few words sent the imagination flying. Both sober men present now had their eyes locked onto me. Course I was unaware of all this. I simply placed both my hands on my cheeks and kept grinning like a lunatic. "But… I do like him. But shhhhh! He doesn't know it yet! I gotta- hic- tell him at the exact right time!" "She goes from giving beautiful soliloquies to gushing like a teenage girl?" Noah said, though it was obvious he was supremely invested just then. "I like him, but it's a secret. So don't tell anyone! Ok?"

Still giggling to myself, I began to fall backwards on my bench seat. I hadn't even noticed I was letting myself fall. "Hey, watch out!" Lee called out for me, reaching out his hand. I was stopped however, by two different hands. Marco grabbed my right side while Lee grabbed my left. That's how I passed out, with one of each of their hands pressing into my back, keeping me from falling flat down.

Not a bad way to black out, if you ask me.


	29. Then There Was Marco

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco's P.O.V.

Marco's P.O.V.- (Seven Years Ago)

["Come on, bro. She's not worth it." "Yes, she is."

When did I realize that there was this something special to Elle? It was back when we were in high school, just before the kissing booth happened in senior year right after the dance competition.

School was supposed to go out for the long weekend; it was Thanksgiving weekend. Late that Friday afternoon, I was climbing the school stairs right before the last bell rang. I turned a corner into the long, narrow hallway. Despite it being November, some of the windows were open, letting a few pink flower petals float on in. Halfway down the hall, I paused to stare out one of the windows at nothing in particular. The breeze just felt so good and I was in no hurry to get anywhere.

A sudden bump caught me off guard. Mildly curious and thinking I wasn't the only one up here- I would be surprised if I wasn't, considering I come here to practice my music- I softly tiptoed over to the classroom where the noise came from. Discreetly, I peered inside, only for my eyes to progressively light up.

Elle! She was inside there alone like that. Standing by an open window, she was propped up against it and looking outside. My heart dropped at the sight of silent tears dripping down her face. Oh, that's right; I slowly began to remember. She's been having some trouble with her boyfriend recently. Bet he'll be coming home for Thanksgiving…. That'll be awkward. Thinking about it made this steel bar coil tight around my heart. Elle….. Something told me this wouldn't be a relaxing long weekend for her.

Still oblivious to my presence, Elle wiped her eyes with the side of her hand. She let a sigh and dug out her phone. I listened as she put on this pop song I couldn't be bothered to know the name of. I guess she was listening to music to drown her sorrows in; I could relate. This didn't surprise me. What did surprise me when her suddenly shaking her head and snatching her phone back up. "Oh, who am I kidding?" She spat. Then the melody coming off her mobile device wasn't pop music but Smetana's "The Moldau". Wait, she knows this song? And what's more, she listens to classical music? But it was a pleasant surprise to say the least. I knew she was deep- a lot deeper than people gave her credit for, I'm sure.

I watched Elle like that for I'm not sure how long. It must have not been that long, since the bell interrupted us soon enough. But for those few seconds….. those few precious seconds…. Both of us wordlessly listened to the music, my eyes growing wide as tears swelled up in hers once more. Elle….. That steel bar coiled ever so tighter. The longer I watched her, something started coming over me.

Elle…. This beautiful woman; this beautiful, beautiful woman. I always thought she was gorgeous, but for the first time, I was beginning to realize why. Just look at her. She's the kind of person you can look at and watch, and just learn so much from. Without even trying, she conveyed so much to me. Behind those shining brown eyes of hers was this deep ocean, spanning miles below the surface. You could dive into her, and spend an eternity exploring the depths of her soul.

She had such passion about her, such life. I knew right then that no ordinary life would be for her. No, she was made for such bigger, greater things. She's the type of girl who will travel and make a difference to the collective human consciousness. She, unlike so many of us, would really live. I could see all that just by looking at her now. Those few precious seconds taught me so, so much…

And I never, ever saw that in another person- let alone a girl- again.

I watched Elle and had to remind myself to breathe. Yes, I knew her; she reminded me so much of myself. Even more of myself than me…. She's meant to be free, like a butterfly or the fleeting tide. She is no bird meant to be caged; she is no flower planted to the ground. Freedom became her more than anyone I'd ever seen. I knew her…. I never realized it before but I unconsciously knew from the first moment I saw her. She showed me that just now; she proved it to me. And she could not help it. Everything about her betrayed herself; there has not been a movement- not one single movement which has not. A pace, a glance, a turn of the head, even the flash of her throat as she breathed. They were all my spies. They revealed her to me, and I could not look away.]

"I'm the one who's impressed here, Elle. But then, I knew I would be." "H-How's that?" I leaned back in his chair with this wistful glint in my eyes. "I could tell, back when we met in high school. I've always been able to tell about people; it's a gift…. And from the first moment I saw you, I knew." "Knew what?" Her eyebrow raised slightly. My smile grew in its edges. "That you were in for an extraordinary life. And looks like my assumptions were right. How many graduates from our class are traversing the world, researching and adding to the vast body of human knowledge?" "Haha, that sounds really cheesy," She giggled. My eyes lowered onto her. "Heh, cheesy but true. Most girls back home are married and living fairly basic lives. But here you are, in South Korea working on a PhD thesis. Yeah, I was right; you proved me right."

[Those brief minutes profoundly changed me. I never looked at anyone the same way again. I was always looking beyond what they presented to me, subconsciously searching for that depth. And while I have met some very brilliant people before, I never got that same feeling from when I watched Elle that one afternoon. Watching her breathlessly, my hand raised up to my pounding chest. My muscles felt all tight and tense all of a sudden. My heart was racing, and it didn't slow down. I couldn't calm down…. And I had no choice but to get used to it- especially whenever I looked at her. Yes, she's freedom in carnage; she's everything I want to be, everything I admire….. everything I could see myself loving.

Even though Elle and I spent such a short amount of time together, it has made me all the better knowing her. It has made me wiser, and easier, and brighter. That's what being so near her does to you.

Elle's the type of girl that when she looks at you, you change.]


	30. Postcards In Paris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle has a flashback.

[There was a time when I couldn't imagine myself loving anyone but Noah Flynn.

That's part of the reason why I went to Paris. I wanted to experience a brand-new world; a spotless world completely untouched by him. That way I wouldn't be tempted to search for him everywhere I went.

"Bye, Elle! Have a good time!" Lee waved at me from the gate, alongside my father and brother. I boarded the plane, traveling overseas for the first time ever. It was also my first trip alone, and let me tell you, nothing grows you up like being thrust into a new and strange environment with literally no one around to help you. But that's how I liked it- I wasn't doing so well these past couple of years and I wanted to get to know myself. Really get to know myself. And I know that sounds like a cheesy line but honestly, it's true. I came back a totally different person, and I've been her ever since.

But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. One the about heartbreak- that stuff follows you…. even in Paris. I learned that the hard way. Paris was so beautiful, full of these gorgeous buildings and streets everywhere. I became so greedy those first few days I was there. I wanted to see everything, to soak it all in like a never-ending sponge. But I slowly realized that was simply impossible. I could see all I could, and then it flow through me like water. Instead of a sponge, I morphed into a bowl which was filled then emptied. It never felt like I was holding onto anything, but instead each entry left an impression on me. I could let it change me, alter who I am, without my clinging onto it. And I guess at some point, I realized I could do the same with people.

The hardest day I can remember was when I first arrived in France. I loved all the attractions so much, I wanted to share them with others. I eagerly bought a postcard at the Louvre and found a café near Shakespeare And Company to write on it. I purchased it without anyone in particular in mind to send it to. I suppose it would be for Lee; he'd appreciate it. I turned the card over and blanked for a moment, though I still knew I'd write it for Lee. My eyes widened however, as I glanced from Notre Dame down to see that my hand had scribbled a different name instead. Dear Noah…..

And so, from then on, I got into the habit of buying Noah postcards everywhere of interest I went. I'd always find somewhere remote and scenic to write on them. I always addressed them to Noah, but I never put down his actual address; I didn't know it anymore anyway. In place, I'd use the space to write even more, knowing he'd never read it. That didn't seem to matter- at least at first. It just felt like I was including him in all this beauty indirectly; there was so much here I wanted to show him….

I wrote and wrote, and I probably finished over twenty postcards. I told him about everything. What I was up to, how I was doing, what I'd seen and where I went that day- it went on and on. But after like the twentieth one, something strange came over me. There was a picture of Noah and his new girlfriend on Lee's facebook page; he'd brought her home for Thanksgiving that year. Heh, Thanksgiving- good memories there. But it just confirmed what I already knew: Noah had moved on, and I should do the same. Everyone told me so….. But I couldn't bring myself to let the flame die. I think a part of me was afraid that once it was out, it would be out for good, and… and I didn't want that. I still remembered….. I remembered how good it felt, loving Noah. It felt so good to love him; he was so easy to love. That detail, I couldn't forget.

But life must go on. For me, it happened one cool evening in late fall. The leaves had turned colour, and most had already fallen to the ground. It used to be an idyllic setting for writing postcards, but that too was fading. Still, I found a serene park bench to sit on. It was in the Champ de Mars; the same park where the Eiffel Tower was. I could see it from where I was sitting; it was at the other end of the way. Pretty romantic setting, or it should have been.

[The park is beautiful this time of year, Noah. I wish you were here to see it with me so much…..] The pen stopped in my hand. My lips parted a sliver as I stared down at the postcard's back for an endless second. I'm not sure why tonight was different; something just felt… off. There was this buzz all around me, an electricity in the air. It slowly, slowly dawned on me- I've written so many of these postcards to Noah, but never really….. How do I feel? How do I feel now? What am I going to write now?

With my pen still quivering in my fingers, I set it back down onto the white paper. [Truth is, Noah, that I still always think about you.] "What would you choose Berkeley, Elle? What about Lee? What about us?! That's the question you should be asking!" [I've seen so much here, but nothing's quite distracted me from you.] I remember… [I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since we broke up four years ago.] "How could you do this to me?! I thought you loved me, Elle! I thought you were the one!" [It's useless to say, isn't it?] "You were the one, Elle! I love you! I love you and you're going to throw it all away!" [I can't tell you how many nights I've fallen asleep crying.] I remember what he said to me….. [They said that time would make it better.] "Don't call me! Don't even look at me! I never want to see your face again!" [They said that time heals a broken heart.] "I don't care! I don't care anymore! Just go! Leave!" [But time has stood still since we've been apart.

I can't stop loving you.]

My pen stopped moving. I hadn't noticed the teardrops dripping down onto the paper. There I was, with tears unknowingly dripping down my face onto Noah's postcard. My head tilted up to see the Eiffel Tower; they'd be turning on the lights soon. For a moment, I did nothing; then I gently lifted my hand up to my watery eyes. My finger wiped a tear off my right eye and brought it back so I could see it. It glistened in the streetlight.

God, what the hell is wrong with me? Here I am, in one of the most beautiful places in the world, and I'm crying over my ex. I've cried so much these past few years; I'm sure the tears I've shed are countless. And for what? What's the point of all this pain? I've spent more time missing Noah than I did actually happy with him. All these years of missing him, wishing he was here again….. How long would it go on like this? How long would I still want him like this? This isn't fair to me; don't I deserve to be happy again? Can't I come to Paris and just enjoy Paris? How long am I going to live life dreaming of yesterday? I can't….. Noah, Noah….. Noah! There I sat, having one last good cathectic cry in front of the Eiffel Tower in the middle of Paris. That was one of the hardest nights of my adult life.

After that night, I threw out all the postcards I wrote to Noah. All except for one. I kept that last one, all stained with tears. On the front was a picture of the roses at Versailles.]

Nugh, my head…. Why does my forehead feel so heavy? The sunlight woke me up the next morning. I have no memory of going to bed, but there I was, tugged into my bed with all my clothes from yesterday still on. I made the mistake of rolling onto my side, which only made my headache worse. Ugh, what happened to me? I can't remember a thing from last night. Well, up to the part of us talking about going to Busan- after that is a total blank.

Every motion hurt; it felt like a series of strings were connected through my body, and each pull rippled through me. It took my mind a moment- a lot of moments actually- to wake up properly. The noises coming from down the hall didn't help. I silently groaned at the sudden and headache-inducing noise. "Dude, don't go into her room!" "I already told you! I'm just going to check on her!" "No, man! Respect her privacy; she's a woman, for Christ's sake!" "There's nothing in there I haven't already seen. Just get off my back! I want to make sure she's ok. What if she needs us or something?"

Those voices….. I recognized them- both of them. One was Noah, and the other was Marco. It sounds like they're arguing near my room. Yeah, that makes sense; it is morning, after all. Ugh, I still have no clue what happened to me last night. Why do I have literally no memory of it and feel all gross and in pain this morning? I have a few theories, but none of them make any sense. "I said leave her alone! Let her sleep!" A bang from outside down the hall made me peak back at my door. Exerting what seemed like a lot of energy, I rolled myself onto my side so I could face the door's wood. Even in this delirious state, the irony was not lost on me.

Four or five years ago, I would have been over the moon to hear Noah's voice out there. I remember what that's like…. waiting tirelessly to hear him again, hoping he'll be speaking to me. And now, it's strange. I don't feel that way at all anymore, or at least I don't think I do. Maybe that's because I know the pain that accompanies its departure. I know the pain of missing Noah, and I wasn't willing to let myself to go through that again. My lips parted slightly. ["I can't undo what I did, Elle, but I can try and make it better. Please, don't be so afraid anymore. I know you're scared to get hurt again, and you won't let yourself get attached….. But please…. You don't have to be afraid; I'm never going to let anything hurt you like that again."] He did say that though…..

Am I lonely? Do I want to fall in love again? Do I smile to tempt a possible love? Or is it my way to hide a broken heart? There's so much I don't know anymore. It used to be so easy before they showed up out of nowhere again. But I can't say I'm unhappy now; far from it. Time has begun moving forward for me once more. I have a freedom now I haven't had in years…. It may not be wise for me to get into a relationship now, but I am free to. I am free to hate, free to love whomever I wish….. Exs or friends- the decision is mine. I suppose in that way, I am the luckiest girl in the world. My eyes lowered tenderly onto the closed door. "Dude, stop!" "You stop!" Listen to them both out there. Yes, I am free now, and incredibly lucky.

Many dreams have been brought to my doorstep.


	31. A Fun Day At The Pool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang finally go to the pool together.

One thing I loved about Lee, Marco, and even now Noah, was that I could have fun with them.

"What's this?" I glanced up from my book to see Lee plunking down four tickets onto the table. He flashed me a mischievous grin. "Behold. You are looking at four tickets to the biggest water park in South Korea." "Shinhwa Water Park?" I picked one up, scanning it over curiously. "That's right. Trust me, Elle; you've never seen anything like this before. They've got slides a mile high, and the wave pool- forget about it," he waved his hand. "Where did you buy these tickets?" "At that tourist attraction store downtown." "Were they expensive?" He lowered his eyes at me, still grinning ear-to-ear. "Elle, you can't put a price on fun- especially if it's at a water park." Uh huh, sure. "Have you told the others?" I set the ticket back down onto the table. My best friend waved his hand dismissively again. "No need; I already know they'll love this. Now go get ready! These tickets are only good for today!" Oh, ok then. So I guess we're doing this now. Needless to say, I didn't finish the breakfast I was in the middle of that morning.

And so the four of us hurried to grab our things and set off for the train to the famous waterpark. I'd personally never heard of it before, but judging by the looks of it, Lee did his homework. This was was huge! Like literally gigantic. Take the biggest wave pool in American and times that by ten. It was so massive, I feared we might lose one of us. But the boys didn't seem to share that anxiety. From the moment they first laid eyes on it, they fell hopelessly in love it- all three of them. We stood at the front of the ocean-size wave pool for a minute, taking in the scale of the place. But that didn't eat up too much time.

Lee was the first to run into the water, followed by Marco, and then finally Noah. They left me standing there by myself in my one-piece swimsuit, not hesitating to get all soaked and splash around. After a minute of pure enjoyment they all shared, they realized that I hadn't emersed myself into the pool yet. "Hey, come on, Elle! The water feels great!" Lee pronounced. I hesitated. "I'm coming…. eventually." "What's wrong, Elle?" Marco brushed the water off his face and looked my way. Noah was the last to pop his head up to the surface; he glanced at me and smirked. "What? You afraid to get all wet, Evans?" "I will! When I'm ready…." I countered, not so confidently. Noah rolled his eyes and marched right over to. My eyes grew as he proceeded to scoop me up princess-style and carry me forward. "Noah! Noah, what are you doing?! Put me down!" I began to freak out, seeing where this was going. Lee laughed hysterically. With one last smirk down at me, I was then dropped into the water, my back landing first. My head shot up as I took in a deep breath, and I shot Noah a monstrous glare- though I wasn't actually man. He responded with yet another cocky smirk. "See? That's not so bad, is it? Now we don't have to wait all day for you." This was met with a splash to the face.

We did it all- and I do mean all. We played in the waves, with Marco and Noah swimming up against them for some reason. We went to the diving boards, where we each took multiple turns diving into the deep pool. After that, we made our way back into the main massive wave pool. Lee and Noah both thought it was great fun lifting me up and tossing me back down again. "Noah, stop!" I laughed as he swooped me up again for the millionth time. When that was done, the boys thought it a great idea to get into a splashing war. News flash- it wasn't. Noah knocked Lee over twice, and I got caught in the commotion once. A big wave sent me flying back under the water, and when Marco dived in after me, he was met with another big hit by Lee. It should be no surprise that after all that, we needed a break from active swimming.

The hot tub was the perfect place to chill out- metaphorically speaking. I sat in between Lee and Noah in the bubbling water, while Marco sat next to Lee dipping his legs in. His arms were resting on the floor behind him and his head was tossed back in a lazy, content fashion. Meanwhile Noah grinned and turned his head in my direction. None of us had said anything for a few minutes, but it didn't feel out of place when Noah broke the quiet. "Getting hot, Elle?" My head shook mildly before I glanced to him, also smiling now. "No, just right. How about you? Getting too warm?" "Are you kidding? I could stay in here all day," he chuckled softly. I was about to say something else before a foreign voice cut me off. They weren't speaking to us per se, but to Marco in specific.

"Hey, you there! Get out of the hot tub!" One of two guys called out to Marco in Korean. We all looked and had a rough idea of what they said, but I'm the only one who truly understood. The boys all blinked confused. "Is he talking to us?" Lee asked to no one in particular. "The hot tub's at max compacity! You're not even in it! Get out!" The first guy kept yelling in his native language. "What does he want now?" Noah asked in general, but we knew I'd be the one to answer him. "Are you talking to me?" Marco questioned the pair in English, pointing to his chest. They ignored him, continuing their tirade. "Why are you even here? You're taking up space! Leave!" Then they called Marco a slur word I wouldn't dare repeat. The guys must have known something was wrong by the face my lit up with horror and disgust.

Noah looked from me, to Marco, and back to the jerks with an angered expression. "Look, just leave us alone. We're not hurting anyone here." But the men acted as if they couldn't hear us now. "He won't leave; what a disrespect douchebag!" The first guy pointed to Marco entitled and incensed. "Hey, man; back off. We're not doing anything wrong," having enough, Marco finally raised his hand in the air to calm the tension. The two men looked at him and frowned. The second guy said a real bad racial word which I wish I hadn't heard. That's when I'd had enough. "Hey!" All eyes were on me as I stood up to face the bastards head on. My hands balled into tight fists. It didn't take Noah long to figure out what had happened.

"What did those guys just say, Elle?" He asked me. "They called Marco a….. a very bad racist slur," I blushed embarrassed while saying this. It just felt so wrong to associate someone like Marco with that word- and clearly I wasn't the only one to think so. While Marco wore a horrified expression, Noah got mad- really mad. He turned to the creeps and stepped out of the pool. Lee, Marco, and I all watched him stare down the jerks with the upmost contempt. His hands were already clenched into fists. "You wanna call him names? You want to call him names? Well I've got some names for you! Go on! Get outta here, before I wipe that smirk off your racist mouths!" Noah! My jaw dropped open, as did the others; we kinda stayed there in a state of shock for a second. Luckily though, that was enough to scare the two dickheads off. Muttering cuss words under their breaths, they quickly wandered away. When we were sure that they were gone, Noah let out a long sigh and spun back around to us. Marco waited a second, then he stood up and walked over to Noah. The two men's eyes met before Marco gave him a soft, grateful smile. "Thanks, man." Noah blinked at him, then let a similar grin roll across his lips. "Not a problem." They clasped hands- you know, in that bro-style- and held onto each other hard for a second.

We had a light lunch after that. The mood was kind of dampened, but I reminded everyone that there was still so much for us to do that afternoon. I don't know who suggested that we play tag in the river, but that was great fun. That lasted for over an hour before we then decided that it was time for the big guns. That's right- it was time for the slides.

"I wanna do the Spinner first!" "Nah, let's do the Long Fall." "How 'bout we start little and ease our way into it?" While they were all discussing the various options of sliding order, I was scanning over the actual slides. Some of them looked… pretty high. I don't know why no one thought to spilt up and for us to each do what slide we wanted, but that never once came up. I guess it was just automatically assumed that we'd be staying together the whole time, which I didn't mind but…. While I nervously eyed some of the bigger slides, they argued on which to go on first amongst themselves for far too long if you ask me.

A decision was finally reached that we'd go on the Bowl first. The Bowl is this short but intense slide where you go down this tube into a toilet bowl-like structure. It's like you get flushed down into a pool below, falling from the bowl through a little hole in the middle. It was actually a lot of fun once you got used to the feeling of falling free style through the air. After that were these long twisty tunnels I didn't know the names of. We changed the order of how we went down the slides, with me always being either first, second, or third; never last. Either Marco or Noah took up the rear, which was fine by me and Lee.

There was this one slide where you went down on innertubes. It was one tube per person, and you had to wait for the green light to go. This was one of the only rides where there was an attendant present. He would wave us forward and set our tubes in the water for us. Noah went down first, followed by Lee, and then me. Marco was in line right behind me. A minute after Lee's tube slid down, the attendant waved me forward. I came up and gave him my tube, which went straight down into the water. I then went to climb into it but kept slipping and failing to sit down inside. The attendant was about to come help me, but Marco stopped him. I looked to see Marco set his own tube down on the floor outside the slide and climb into the water with me.

"M-Marco?" "Here, I'll hold this still. Climb in." "O-Ok….." Blushing slightly, I easily climbed into the tube this time. While I was in the process of sitting down, my arm brushed up against Marco's hands. I flinched as my eyes widened; my heart was racing so fast. Once secure in the tube, Marco flashed me a smile. He didn't remove his hands until the light was green and the attendant gave me the ok to go. "Have fun," he told me, then ran me forward. He was right behind me a minute later, but it felt much quicker than that.

Around three o'clock is when it got…. interesting. Honestly, sometimes I forget that I'm not of the boys, and sometimes I can't forget. But these three- they never forgot, oh no. This is one of times that it really showed.

"Behold, gentlemen. The big one; the mile-high slide," Lee announced to the others. Now, the slide wasn't a mile long of course, but it was still the highest one any of us had ever seen. Truthfully, I had no intension on going on this thing, but I assumed the choice was mine. Oh, silly me. That would be giving me too much autonomy. "The time has come. Let's go. You can go on the twirly slide while you wait for us, Elle," Lee said like this was the most natural thing for him to say. What was both more surprising and not surprising at all was Marco and Noah nodding in agreement to this. Hey? What about me? What if I didn't want to go on the twirly slide again? That slide's for kids….. which means it's perfect for me, but still!

I frowned, planting my hands onto my hips. "Isn't that for me to decide, Lee? What if I want to go on the really tall slide?" They all seemed a bit surprised by this. "Y-You want to go on the slide?" Lee scratched the side of his head. Marco looked concerned. "I'd rather you not, Elle. It's very high and could be dangerous for someone your size and weight." Shockingly, Noah shared this sentiment. "Marco's right. It'd be safer for you on the little slide. Go there and wait for us; we won't be long." What…. What is this?! Protect Elle Day? It didn't help anything when Lee motioned for me to get a move on with his hand. "Have fun! We'll come get you after one round, or three," they began to take off. "Wear an innertube if you go in the deep end!" Noah called back as they headed for the long slide. I watched them go with low, unimpressed eyes. My lips let out a sigh. I guess it can't be helped….. And I couldn't help but grin to myself.

I went on the twirly slide twice, and even then they still weren't done! Having enough of the slides for one day, I decided to go wait in the wave pool where I could still watch for them. But that got boring ten minutes later. I floated on my back, drifting progressively closer to the deep end. My eyes lowered gently as I stared up at the ceiling. Admittedly this felt really good right now. "Elle!" Well, it did. I swam upright to find Marco and Lee swimming over to me. I grinned at them until something suddenly slipped over my head. Blinking behind me, I saw Noah there putting an innertube over me. "I thought I told you to wear one of these in the deep end," he said, though he wasn't angry. He wrapped his arm around the tube and pulled me towards the others. Then they told me all about the scary big slide, the long line they had to wait in, and what a thrill it was. I'm still glad I didn't do it, and I never regretted that decision.

Overall it was a glorious day at the pool, minus a run-in with those creeps. We were all exhausted by the time we boarded the train to go home. Marco and Noah sat on one side of the carte, with me and Lee on the other side. I rested my head on Lee's shoulder, and he put his head up against mine. He was already snoozing by the time we left the station, and I wasn't far behind. Before I shut my eyes, I took one last look at the two men across from me. They looked knackered, drifting in and out of sleep themselves. I saw them and smiled. We didn't realize we were making memories at the time; we just knew that we were having fun.

With that, I shut my eyes and fell right to sleep.


	32. A Little Cuteness In The Office

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Elle have a cute moment together.

"You know, I think this is my first time seeing your office. It's nice! Gotta a great view from up here," Marco glanced out my window. I was still in the process of organizing and gathering the papers on my desk. A quick check of the clock told me I had five minutes left- perfect. I'd get there just in time. Marco's head casually turned back towards me from where he was leaning up against the wall. My back straightened up and my hands clapped together.

"Ok! I think everything's in order. Now I just got to bring it to my supervisor like this," I proclaimed. My dear friend continued to watch me with ease. His shoulders relaxed a little. "I'm sorry I can't take the train home with you after your appointment, Elle. They would only let me schedule the recording booth for five o'clock." "That's ok. We take the train home all the time together and besides, it's supposed to rain later. Maybe if you're lucky, you'll miss it." "Oh, I'll be fine- rain or no rain. Don't worry about me. But I did call Noah earlier. He can't make it to campus right now, but he'll meet you at the train station back home." "You called Noah?" This made me blink. He nodded. "He'll walk you back once you get to the station."

"Awe, Marco…. You know, you guys don't have to worry about me so much. I've lived in Seoul for months by myself and nothing happened; I'm just fine on my own." He shrugged. "Yeah, but why take the chance?" "Is that why you called Noah then?" "Well, that's one of the reasons. I wanted to make sure he picked up the snacks for tonight. We're gonna watch the Rams game tonight on paper-view." Heh, I couldn't help but smile. You can take the American out of America, but you can't take the football out of the American. And they're watching it together….. I knew it was just the two of them since Lee had no interest in sports. Marco must have noticed me ogling him, since he gazed at me slightly puzzled. "What?" He inquired. My head merely shook gently from side to side. "Nothing. It's just that it's nice to see you and Noah becoming friends; that's all." This seemed to surprise Marco a little. "We are? Huh, I guess I didn't notice…. Yeah, I guess…. we are," his eyes wandered into space for a second as if he was internalizing this for the first time. My smile deepened and I turned back to the papers sprawled all over my desk. Marco perked up somewhat and came over to my side.

"Here, I'll help you," he began picking up papers here and there. "Thank you," I acknowledged without looking at him; I had to start to hurry if I didn't want to be late. I suppose we weren't paying attention to where our hands were going since seconds later, the sides of our hands bumped into each other. Marco and I each flinched as our eyes shot down to our still ajoint hands. And just like that, my heart began to pound; it pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears. Judging by Marco's expression, he was experiencing something similar.

This is one of the great paradoxes in life. You get older, you realize life isn't like some high school drama; the real world is much different than what you see on tv. And as you grow and experience more for yourself, you seem to lose all that magic surrounding you in the past. Yet still, even as an adult- when the world is such a foreign, bleak place to you now- little spirts of magic, of that anime, high school drama goodness can still occur. It happens when you least expect it, but you're suddenly reminded of all those glorious feelings you once had in your youth. That part, just like this moment now, was real once upon a time too. And with Marco of all people….

Why? I could never understand why I was left so speechless each time we touched. It never used to happen back when we were senior year. So then why now….? Or maybe I'm the one who's wrong. Maybe this has always happened and I repressed it. I pushed it down so far, and it manifested in that kiss at the end of the dance competition…

I immediately pulled my hand back and Marco followed suit. Neither of us uttered a word as I swiftly gathered the rest of my papers and shoved them into my backpack. The whole time I was blushing like a mad woman. God, what's wrong with me? Why am I acting like a love-sick high-schooler all of a sudden? I've written a master's thesis before- this should be nothing to me. I'm an adult; I'm too grown-up for this, aren't I? Aren't I? Oh god…. My heart's beating so loud, I swear Marco could hear it! My balled hand rose up to my weightless chest. Marco, equally as embarrassed as me, waited a moment before breaking the silence.

"He-….. Um…. Ah…. Hey, Elle!" Marco said a little too loudly. My spine stiffened up as my head started to spin. Oh my god….. Oh my god! Something's wrong with me! Why am I acting this way? It's not like I like Marco or anything….. "Y-Yeah?!" Oh, good going, Elle; can you sound any stupider? Marco checked from side to side, which was pointless because we were in my office and there was only the two of us anyway. But he was sure the coast was clear, the blushing Marco held up his hand my way. "You um…. wanna hold hands? I-I mean while I walk you to your supervisor's office!" Hold hands….. with Marco? I'm head's going to explode! What the hell is happening to me?! I haven't felt this way in…..

"Just try it," Marco took a step towards me. "I-I don't know. W-We're in public. What if someone sees us?" I didn't mean to sound so juvenile. I mean, it's not he's asking me to kiss him or anything! I used to hold hands with Noah all the time. Why should this feel so…. intimate? Marco's foot took another step closer. "There's no one around, so don't worry about it. It's only for a little way, and besides, what's so weird about two good friends holding hands once and a while?" "I-I guess you have a point. N-No harm in trying…" Still blushing up a storm, my hand timidly stretched out for his.

But before our palms could meet, an unexpected voice caught us off guard. "Hey, Evans! I'm heading out now; I wanted to wish you a good weekend," Song-yi stuck her head into my office. As quick as a flash, Marco and I lowered our hands. Song-yi blinked as if she noticed she'd interrupted something. Then she glanced to Marco, soaking his presence in for a second. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company," she said in Korean. "O-Oh, that's ok! We were just leaving!" I waved my hand really fast in the air. Her head spun back in my direction; her face lit up a little. "Wait, is he your boyfriend? The one Ji-yoon mentioned at the department party?!" Boy, was she getting excited now. My cheeks burned brighter, if that were even possible.

"N-No! He's not my boyfriend! He's just a friend!" I replied in Korean, though Marco caught the words "boyfriend" and "friend" in my speech. Song-yi simply glanced back at Marco a little perplexed. "Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't realize….. Well, anyway; have a good weekend, Evans." "Thanks, Song-yi. You too." Her grin widened- this kind woman. My began to fade however, when she spoke next. "Oh! Did I invite you earlier? We're having a party at my house this weekend. Pop by if you're free. All PhD candidates from the department are coming; Ji-yoon wanted to remind me to make sure you're invited." Ji-yoon…. My finger twitched at this. What is she doing? Why is she doing this to me? To torment me some more? And here I thought bullying ended when you graduated from high school. "She really likes you, Evans. You should try to be friends with her. She's so nice," the innocent, naïve Song-yi stated. I knew that wasn't true- not in the slightest- but none of our poor colleagues knew just how evil and conniving she could be. Not that I could say that to anyone here.

Marco's shoulders perked up when he heard Ji-yoon's name, but he didn't make a sound. He instead quietly watched me as I watched my friend head off. Song-yi waved at me as she left. "Come by if you can make it!" "T-Thanks, I'll see what I can do," I half-heartedly waved back. In truth, I had no intention of going to that party. But the consequent of that would be questions on Monday, since Ji-yoon already made everyone aware of my invitation by Song-yi herself. Nugh, my hands balled into frustrated fists. Why did she insist on doing this to me? Was it because I'm an easy target for her? And there's literally nothing I can do…. Damn it all.

"Elle?" Marco asked worried as I suddenly turned around and went over to the window. I stared out of it for a second, trying to calm my nerves. This was no way to go see my supervisor….. Marco didn't say anything but he didn't take his eyes off me. I heard his footsteps come up behind me. This time I didn't flinch when I felt both of his hands rest overtop my shoulders. He wasn't hugging me per se, but he stood very close to my back. I shut my eyes and he shut his, and while it was only for a moment, it still felt… Marco…. He's holding me; he's standing here with me, with both of us closing our eyes. Marco…..

I mean it when I say it only lasted a second. "Evans? What are you two doing?" Marco practically threw himself away from me and I let out a tiny screech. My supervisor, Professor Oh, was walking by my office to go to his and must have saw us inside. Gees, you'd think by our reaction, we were caught having sex or something. Marco had this look of horror on his face while I tried to straighten myself up and appear as professional as possible. "P-Professor Oh! Hello! I was just going to your office, sir!" "I was on my way too…. Uh, I'm sorry if I….." "Oh no! No, of course not, sir! I'll uh…. I'll walk to your office with you!" Both men watched me grab my backpack. I hurriedly put it on and gave Marco one last look. "S-See you later, Marco!" I know we might be acting weird but dating and physical contact are a much bigger deal in South Korea. Call it cultural differences. Marco gave me a head nod.

"Y-Yeah. See you later….. Elle."


End file.
